September 16, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

CPI up 0.5 percent in August

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent in August, the same as in July.

 

[Chart data—TXT]

Energy costs increased sharply for the second consecutive month—up 5.0 percent in August. Within energy, the index for energy commodities (petroleum-based energy) increased 7.9 percent and the index for energy services rose 1.3 percent. 

The index for food was unchanged in August, as a 0.3 percent increase in the index for food away from home offset a 0.2 percent decline in the index for food at home. 

The index for all items less food and energy registered a 0.1 percent increase for the fourth consecutive month. Shelter costs, which rose 0.3 percent in July, were virtually unchanged in August, reflecting a downturn in the index for lodging away from home.

For the 12 months ended in August 2005, the CPI-U rose 3.6 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. To learn more about changes in consumer prices see "Consumer Price Index: August 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-1717. Note: Data for the Consumer Price Index are collected throughout the entire reference month. Over 90 percent of the prices for August were collected prior to August 29, when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast.