November 20, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices in October

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent in October, following an increase of 0.2 percent in September.

[Chart data—TXT]

The index for food rose 0.1 percent in October. The index for food at home declined 0.1 percent, reflecting decreases in the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for meats, poultry, fish and eggs. 

Energy costs advanced for the fourth consecutive month—up 1.9 percent in October—and accounted for about half of the overall October advance. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy rose 3.3 percent and the index for energy services increased 0.4 percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent after increasing 0.1 percent in September. 

During the first 10 months of 2002, the CPI-U rose at a 2.7-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 October, the CPI-U increased 2.0 percent.

These data are a product of the BLS Consumer Price Index program.  Find out more in "Consumer Price Indexes, October 2002" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 02-647.