December 18, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices in November

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1 percent in November, following an increase of 0.3 percent in October.

[Chart data—TXT]

The index for food rose 0.2 percent in November. The index for food at home, which declined 0.1 percent in October, increased 0.3 percent, reflecting upturns in the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. 

Energy costs, which had increased in each of the four preceding months, declined 0.2 percent in November. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy declined 0.2 percent and the index for energy services decreased 0.2 percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in November, the same as in October. 

During the first 11 months of 2002, the CPI-U rose at a 2.6-percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). This compares with an increase of 1.6 percent for all of 2001.

For the 12-month period ended in November, the CPI-U increased 2.2 percent.

These data are a product of the BLS Consumer Price Index program.  Find out more in "Consumer Price Indexes, November 2002" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 02-684.