March 19, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
CPI in February
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) advanced 0.4 percent in February 2007, following a 0.2-percent increase in January.
[Chart data—TXT]
Energy costs increased 0.9 percent in February after declining 1.5 percent in January. In February, the index for petroleum-based energy increased 0.3 percent and the index for energy services rose 1.5 percent.
The food index rose 0.8 percent in February, following a 0.7-percent increase in January. Grocery store foods rose 1.1 percent, largely reflecting a 4.7-percent increase in the index for fruits and vegetables.
The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.2 percent in February, following a 0.3-percent rise in January; an increase in the index for shelter accounted for about one-half of the February advance.
For the 12 months ended in February 2007, the CPI-U rose 2.4 percent, as shown in the chart.
These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. To learn more, see
"Consumer Price Index: February 2007" (PDF) (TXT),
news release USDL 07-0376.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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