On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.1 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on April 14. Over the last 12 months, the index increased 2.3 percent before seasonal adjustment.
The seasonally adjusted increase in the all items index was mostly due to an increase in the fresh fruits and vegetables index, which rose 4.6 percent in March and accounted for more than 60 percent of the all items increase. Other food at home indexes were mixed and the index for food away from home was unchanged.
The index for energy and for all items less food and energy were both unchanged in March. Within energy, an increase in the electricity index was offset by declines in the indexes for gasoline and natural gas. Within all items less food and energy, the indexes for medical care, new vehicles, and used cars and trucks posted increases, while the indexes for shelter, household furnishings and operations, and apparel declined.
Consumer Price Index Data for March 2010
Food
The food index rose 0.2 percent in March after rising 0.1 percent in February. The index for food away from home, which had increased every month since January 2003, was unchanged in March. In contrast, the index for food at home rose 0.5 percent, its largest increase since September 2008. The index for fruits and vegetables rose 3.4 percent due to the sharp rise in the fresh fruits and vegetables index. Other grocery store food groups registered only small changes in March. The meats, poultry, fish and eggs index increased 0.2 percent, while the indexes for dairy and related products and for non-alcoholic beverages were unchanged and the indexes for cereals and bakery products and for other food at home declined slightly. The food index has risen 0.2 percent over the last 12 months, with the food at home index still down 0.7 percent over that period despite the March increase.
Energy
The energy index, which fell 0.5 percent in February, was unchanged in March. The gasoline index declined for the second straight month, falling 0.8 percent. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices rose 4.5 percent in March and have increased 41.4 percent over the past 12 months.) The index for household energy rose in March, increasing 1.3 percent mostly because of a 2.1 percent rise in the electricity index. The fuel oil index rose 0.7 percent, but the index for natural gas declined 0.7 percent. Over the last 12 months, the energy index has risen 18.3 percent.
All items less food and energy
The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in March after rising 0.1 percent in February. The shelter index declined in March, falling 0.1 percent due to a 0.1 percent decline in owners' equivalent rent. The index for household furnishings and operations fell 0.4 percent in March, its ninth decline in the past 10 months. The index for apparel fell 0.4 percent and the recreation index declined 0.1 percent. In contrast to these declines, the medical care index rose 0.3 percent in March with the index for hospital services increasing 1.1 percent. The index for used cars and trucks continued to rise, increasing 0.5 percent, and the new vehicles index rose 0.1 percent. Over the last 12 months, the index for all items less food and energy has risen 1.1 percent, its smallest increase since January 2004. This is largely explained by the continued deceleration of the shelter index, which has now fallen 0.6 percent over the last 12 months.