U.S. Consumer Prices Rise 0.4% in February, as Expected

 The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent 
 in February on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.3 percent in January, 
 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, 
 the all items index increased 1.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.
 
 The gasoline index continued to increase, rising 6.4 percent in February and 
 accounting for over half of the seasonally adjusted increase in the all items 
 index. The electricity and natural gas indexes also increased, and the energy 
 index rose 3.9 percent over the month. The food index rose 0.2 percent in 
 February, with the index for food at home and the index for food away from 
 home both rising. 
 
 The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in February. 
 The indexes for shelter, recreation, medical care, and motor vehicle insurance 
 all increased over the month. The indexes for airline fares, used cars and 
 trucks, and apparel all declined in February. 
 
 The all items index rose 1.7 percent for the 12 months ending February, a 
 larger increase than the 1.4-percent reported for the period ending in January. 
 The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent over the last 12 
 months, a smaller increase than the 1.4-percent rise for the 12 months ending 
 January. The food index rose 3.6 percent over the last 12 months, while the 
 energy index increased 2.4 percent over that period. 

Food

 The food index increased 0.2 percent in February. The index for food at home rose 
 0.3 percent over the month as four of the six major grocery store food group indexes 
 increased. The index for fruits and vegetables rose 0.7 percent in February as the 
 index for fresh fruits increased 1.8 percent, the largest increase in that index 
 since March 2014. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.3 percent in 
 February, a smaller increase than the 0.5-percent increase in January. The index 
 for cereals and bakery products increased 0.5 percent in February, while the index 
 for other food at home increased 0.1 percent over the month.
 
 The index for dairy and related products declined 0.2 percent in February after 
 falling 0.4 percent the previous month. The index for nonalcoholic beverages also 
 decreased over the month, declining 0.1 percent.
 
 The food away from home index rose 0.1 percent in February, continuing a long series 
 of increases. The index for limited service meals rose 0.4 percent, while the index 
 for full service meals increased 0.3 percent.
 
 The food at home index increased 3.5 percent over the past 12 months. All six major 
 grocery store food group indexes increased over the period, with increases ranging 
 from 2.7 percent (both cereals and bakery products and dairy and related products) 
 to 5.2 percent (meats, poultry, fish, and eggs). The index for food away from home 
 rose 3.7 percent over the last year. The index for limited service meals rose 6.3 
 percent, the largest 12-month increase in the history of the index, which began in 
 1997. The index for full service meals rose 2.9 percent over the last 12 months. 
 
 Energy
 
 The energy index continued to rise in February, increasing 3.9 percent. The index 
 for gasoline was again the dominant factor in the increase, rising 6.4 percent over 
 the month. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices rose 6.9 percent in February.) 
 The electricity index rose 0.7 percent in February, and the natural gas index 
 increased 1.6 percent over the month. The index for fuel oil also rose in February, 
 increasing 9.9 percent. 
 
 The energy index rose 2.4 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index rose 
 1.5 percent over the last 12 months, while the index for electricity rose 2.3 percent, 
 and the index for natural gas increased 6.7 percent over the same period. In contrast, 
 the fuel oil index fell 0.5 percent over the last 12 months.
 
 All items less food and energy
 
 The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in February. The shelter 
 index rose 0.2 percent in February, with the index for owners’ equivalent rent 
 increasing 0.3 percent and the index for rent increasing 0.2 percent. The recreation 
 index increased 0.6 percent in February after decreasing 0.6 percent in January. The 
 motor vehicle insurance index also increased, rising 0.7 percent in February.
 
 The medical care index rose 0.3 percent in February, although its components were 
 mixed. The index for physicians’ services rose 2.0 percent over the month, but the 
 index for prescription drugs declined 0.7 percent in February and the index for hospital 
 services declined 0.1 percent.
 
 The index for airline fares continued to decline in February, falling 5.1 percent 
 following a 3.2-percent decrease in January. The used cars and trucks index fell 0.9 
 percent over the month, as it did in the 2 previous months. The index for apparel 
 declined 0.7 percent in February after increasing 2.2 percent in January. The indexes 
 for new vehicles and household furnishings and operations were both unchanged over the 
 month.  
 
 The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent over the past 12 months. 
 Among the indexes rising more quickly were those for used cars and trucks (+9.3 
 percent), medical care (+2.0 percent), and shelter (+1.5 percent). Indexes that 
 declined over the last 12 months include airline fares (-25.6 percent), apparel 
 (-3.6 percent), and motor vehicle insurance (-2.8 percent).
 
 Not seasonally adjusted CPI measures
 
 The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 1.7 percent over 
 the last 12 months to an index level of 263.014 (1982-84=100). For the month, the 
 index increased 0.5 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.  
 
 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) 
 increased 1.9 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 256.843 
 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index rose 0.6 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.  
 
 The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 1.6 
 percent over the last 12 months. For the month, the index increased 0.6 percent on a 
 not seasonally adjusted basis. Please note that the indexes for the past 10 to 12 
 months are subject to revision.