March 18, 2004 (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) increased 0.3 percent in February, following an increase of 0.5 percent in January.

[Chart data—TXT]

Energy costs, which rose 4.7 percent in January, advanced 1.7 percent in February. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy advanced 2.5 percent and the index for energy services increased 0.9 percent.

The index for food rose 0.2 percent in February after registering no change in January. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in February, the same as in January. 

The index for housing rose 0.2 percent in February. Shelter costs increased 0.1 percent in February, the same as in January.

The transportation index, which rose 1.7 percent in January, advanced 0.7 percent in February. The index for gasoline rose 2.5 percent in February, following an 8.1-percent rise in January, accounting for about 80 percent of the February advance in the transportation component.

For the 12-month period ended in February, the CPI-U rose 1.7 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. For more information, see Consumer Price Index: February 2004 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-415.