June 19, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

No change in consumer prices in May

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

[Chart data—TXT]

The energy index, which had advanced sharply in each of the preceding two months, declined 0.7 percent in May. The index for petroleum-based energy decreased 2.7 percent, while the index for energy services rose 1.1 percent. 

The food index fell 0.2 percent in May. The index for food at home declined 0.5 percent as five of the six grocery store food groups registered declines. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in May after increasing 0.3 percent in April. A smaller increase in the index for shelter and a downturn in the index for tobacco and smoking products accounted for the more moderate increase in May.

The May CPI-U level of 179.8 was 1.2 percent higher than its level in May 2001.

These data are a product of the BLS Consumer Price Index program. Find out more in "Consumer Price Indexes, May 2002" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 02-344.