For Current And Historical Material In This — 2001-06-15

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent in May, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 177.7 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in May, the CPI-U increased 3.6 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also rose 0.5 percent in May, prior to seasonal adjustment. The May level of 174.4 was 3.7 percent higher than the index in May 2000. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.4 percent in May, following a 0.3 percent increase in April. The energy index, which increased 1.8 percent in April, rose 3.1 percent in May, accounting for about two-thirds of the overall May CPI advance. The index for petroleum- based energy increased 5.6 percent and the index for energy services rose 0.6 percent.