October 21, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices in September

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

[Chart data—TXT]

The index for food, which declined 0.1 percent in August, rose 0.2 percent in September. The index for food at home increased 0.3 percent, with about four-fifths of the increase due to a 2.2 percent rise in the index for nonalcoholic beverages. 

Energy costs advanced for the third consecutive month—up 0.7 percent in September. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent after increasing 0.3 percent in August. 

Consumer prices rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 2.5 percent in the third quarter. This followed increases in the first and second quarters at annual rates of 3.0 and 2.5 percent, respectively, and brings the year-to-date annual rate to 2.6 percent. This compares with an increase of 1.6 percent in all of 2001.

For the 12-month period ended in September, the CPI-U increased 1.5 percent.

These data are a product of the BLS Consumer Price Index program.  Find out more in "Consumer Price Indexes, September 2002" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 02-595.