EconoIndicators

CPI At a Glance

• CPI-U: 219.086
• Monthly Change: Down 0.4%
• Year-to-year Change: Up 5.4%
• Core CPI-U: Up 0.2% [Seasonally adjusted]
• CPI-W: 215.247
• Monthly Change: Down 0.5%
• Year-to-year Change: Up 5.9%
• Chained CPI-U: 125.843
• Monthly Change: Down 0.2%
• Year-to-Year Change: Up 4.7%

Important notes: Numbers are not seasonally adjusted unless noted; base year=100 for CPI-U and CPI-W is 1982-1984; base year for C-CPI-U is 1999.

Technorati Tags: Consumer, Price, Index, CPI, inflation

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: AUGUST 2008

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) decreased
0.4 percent in August, before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The August
level of 219.086 (1982-84=100) was 5.4 percent higher than in August 2007.

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
(CPI-W) decreased 0.5 percent in August, prior to seasonal adjustment.
The August level of 215.247 (1982-84=100) was 5.9 percent higher than in
August 2007.

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U)
decreased 0.2 percent in August on a not seasonally adjusted basis. The
August level of 125.843 (December 1999=100) was 4.7 percent higher than in
August 2007. Please note that the indexes for the post-2006 period are
subject to revision.

CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U decreased 0.1 percent in
August, following a 0.8 percent increase in July. The index for energy
fell 3.1 percent in August after three consecutive sharp increases. The
gasoline index declined by 4.2 percent in August but is 35.6 percent
higher than in August 2007. The index for household energy, which was up
3.8 percent in July, declined 1.6 percent in August. The food index
advanced 0.6 percent in August after rising 0.9 percent in July. The
index for food at home rose 0.8 percent in August after a 1.2 percent
increase in July and is up 7.5 percent over the past year. The index for
all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in August after
increasing 0.3 percent in July. A downturn in the index for lodging away
from home was responsible for almost half of the smaller increase.
Deceleration in the indexes for new vehicles, apparel, and telephone
services also contributed. Partly offsetting these were larger increases
in the indexes for medical care and recreation.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) - August 2008 [PDF]

Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics