The Consumer Price Index decreased 0.1% in March on a seasonally adjusted annual basis, after rising 0.2% in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.4%.
The index for all items less food and energy, the “core CPI”, rose 0.1% in March, following a 0.2% increase in February, and 2.8% over the last 12 months.
The index for energy fell 2.4% in March, as a 6.3% decline in the index for gasoline more than offset increases in the indexes for electricity and natural gas. The food index, in contrast, rose 0.4% in March as the food at home index increased 0.5% and the food away from home index rose 0.4% over the month. The shelter index increased 4.0% over the last year, the smallest 12-month increase since November 2021.
The index for food increased 0.4 percent in March, after rising 0.2 percent in February. The food at home index rose 0.5 percent over the month as four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased. Driven primarily by a 5.9-percent increase in the index for eggs, the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 1.3 percent in March. The beef index also increased over the month, rising 1.2 percent. The index for other food at home increased 0.5 percent in March and the index for dairy and related products rose 1.0 percent. The nonalcoholic beverages index increased 0.6 percent over the month.
The energy index decreased 2.4% in March, after rising 0.2% in February. The gasoline index decreased 6.3% over the month. The index for natural gas and electricity rose 3.6% and 0/9% respectively. The energy index decreased 3.3% over the past 12 months. The gasoline index fell 9.8% over this 12-month span and the fuel oil index fell 7.6% over the same period. In contrast, the index for electricity increased 2.8% over the last 12 months and the index for natural gas rose 9.4%.
Read the BLS release.
