May 16, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices rose 0.5 percent in April

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent in April, following a 0.3-percent increase in March.

[Chart data—TXT]

The energy index advanced sharply for the second consecutive month—up 4.5 percent in April. The index for petroleum-based energy increased 9.4 percent, while the index for energy services was unchanged. 

The food index rose 0.1 percent in April. Grocery store food prices were unchanged after increasing 0.2 percent in each of the preceding two months. Fruit and vegetable prices, which rose sharply in the first three months of 2002, declined 1.8 percent in April. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.3 percent in April after increasing 0.1 percent in March.

For the 12-month period ended in April, the CPI-U increased 1.6 percent.

These data are a product of the BLS Consumer Price Index program. Find out more in "Consumer Price Indexes, April 2002", news release USDL 02-289.