June 15, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices in May 2006

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) advanced 0.4 percent in May, following a 0.6-percent rise in April.

Percent change from 12 months ago, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, not seasonally adjusted, May 1997-May 2006
[Chart data—TXT]

Energy costs continued their advance—up 2.4 percent in May. Within energy, the index for petroleum based energy increased 4.8 percent, while the index for energy services fell 0.6 percent.

The food index increased 0.1 percent in May.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in May, the same as in each of the preceding two months. The index for shelter again accounted for over half of the monthly advance.

For the 12 months ended in May 2006, the CPI-U rose 4.2 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. To learn more, see "Consumer Price Index: May 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-1012.