December 2008 Consumer Price Index — 2009-01-16

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) decreased 1.0 percent in December, before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The December level of 210.228 (1982-84=100) was 0.1 percent higher than in December 2007. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) decreased 1.2 percent in December, prior to seasonal adjustment. The December level of 204.813 (1982-84=100) was 0.5 percent lower than in December 2007. The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) decreased 1.3 percent in December on a not seasonally adjusted basis. The December level of 120.661 (December 1999=100) was 0.5 percent lower than in December 2007. Please note that the indexes for the post-2006 period are subject to revision. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U decreased 0.7 percent in December, the third consecutive decline. The index is now only 0.1 percent higher than in December 2007.