March 24, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices in February

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.6 percent in February, following an increase of 0.3 percent in January.

[Chart data—TXT]

Energy costs, which rose 4.0 percent in January, advanced 5.9 percent in February. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy advanced 10.2 percent and the index for energy services increased 1.6 percent. 

The index for food rose 0.7 percent in February, following a 0.2-percent decline in January. The index for food at home advanced 0.9 percent, reflecting sharp upturns in the indexes for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs and for fruits and vegetables. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in February, the same as in January. In February, the index for shelter was virtually unchanged and the indexes for apparel and public transportation each declined.

For the 12-month period ended in February, the CPI-U rose 3.0 percent. 

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program.  Find out more in "Consumer Price Indexes, February 2003" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 03-132.