For Current And Historical Material In This — 2003-02-21

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent in January, before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The January level of 181.7 (1982-84=100) was 2.6 percent higher than in January 2002. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also increased 0.4 percent in January, prior to seasonal adjustment. The January level of 177.7 was 2.6 percent higher than in January 2002. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.3 percent in January, following increases of 0.1 percent each of the preceding two months. Energy costs, which declined in November and December, increased 4.0 percent in January. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy advanced 6.6 percent and the index for energy services increased 1.5 percent. Meanwhile, the indexes for food and for all items less food and energy decelerated in January.