August 17, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

CPI up 0.5 percent in July 2005

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which was unchanged in June, increased 0.5 percent in July.

[Chart data—TXT]

Energy costs advanced sharply, increasing 3.8 percent in July after falling 0.5 percent in June. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy rose 6.1 percent in July, accounting for over one-half of the increase in the overall CPI. Energy services increased 1.1 percent.

The index for food increased 0.2 percent in July. The index for fruits and vegetables, which fell 1.2 percent in June, increased 1.6 percent in July.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent for the third consecutive month. A decline in new vehicle prices—down 1.0 percent in July—was more than offset by increases in the indexes for airline fares and for lodging away from home.

For the 12 months ended in July 2005, the CPI-U rose 3.2 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. For more information, see "Consumer Price Index: July 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-1559.