Consumer Price Index Summary

 FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
   Patrick C. Jackman   (202) 691-7000      USDL-03-132
 CPI QUICKLINE:         (202) 691-6994      TRANSMISSION OF
 FOR CURRENT AND HISTORICAL                 MATERIAL IN THIS
   INFORMATION:         (202) 691-5200      RELEASE IS EMBARGOED
 MEDIA CONTACT:         (202) 691-5902      UNTIL 8:30 A.M. (EST)
 INTERNET ADDRESS:                          Friday, March 21, 2003
   http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ 
                   
                  CONSUMER PRICE INDEX:  FEBRUARY 2003
 
      The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased
 0.8 percent in February, before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor
 Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  The February
 level of 183.1 (1982-84=100) was 3.0 percent higher than in February 2002.
      
      The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
 (CPI-W) also increased 0.8 percent in February, prior to seasonal
 adjustment.  The February level of 179.2 was 3.2 percent higher than in
 February 2002.
      
 CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
      
      On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.6 percent in
 February, following an increase of 0.3 percent in January.  Energy costs,
 which rose 4.0 percent in January, advanced 5.9 percent in February.
 Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy advanced 10.2 percent
 and the index for energy services increased 1.6 percent.  The index for
 food rose 0.7 percent in February, following a 0.2 percent decline in
 January.  The index for food at home advanced 0.9 percent, reflecting
 sharp upturns in the indexes for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs and for
 fruits and vegetables.  The index for all items less food and energy rose
 0.1 percent in February, the same as in January.  In February, the index
 for shelter was virtually unchanged and the indexes for apparel and public
 transportation each declined.
    
 
 Table A.  Percent changes in CPI for Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
                                   Seasonally adjusted                Un-
                                                          Compound  adjusted
     Expenditure        Changes from preceding month    annual rate  12-mos.
      Category                 2002              2003   3-mos. ended  ended
                     Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.   Feb.'03   Feb.'03
 All Items            .2    .2   .2   .1   .1   .3   .6    4.3       3.0
  Food and beverages -.1    .2   .1   .2   .2  -.2   .6    2.7       1.4
  Housing             .2    .2   .3   .1   .2   .4   .3    3.6       2.6
  Apparel             .8   -.2  -.2  -.2  -.2  -.9  -.2   -5.1      -2.3
  Transportation      .3    .2   .5  -.2  -.3  1.1  2.0   11.9       7.1
  Medical care        .2    .3   .6   .5   .4   .1   .1    2.5       4.5
  Recreation          .1    .1   .2   .0   .2   .2   .3    2.7       1.2
  Education and                                                         
    communication     .6   -.1   .0   .0   .2   .5   .2    3.4       2.2
  Other goods and                                                    
    services          .5    .4  -.5   .1   .1   .2   .3    2.6       2.5
 Special indexes:                                                       
  Energy              .2    .4  1.4  -.5  -.4  4.0  5.9   44.9      22.0
  Food               -.1    .2   .1   .2   .2  -.2   .7    2.7       1.4
  All items less                                                        
    food and energy   .3    .2   .1   .1   .2   .1   .1    1.5       1.7

     
      The food and beverages index advanced 0.6 percent in February.  The
 index for food at home, which declined 0.2 percent in January, increased
 0.9 percent in February, reflecting upturns in the indexes for meats,
 poultry, fish and eggs, for fruits and vegetables, and for dairy products.
 The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, which declined 0.3 percent
 in January, advanced 2.0 percent in February.  The index for beef and veal
 rose 3.3 percent, its largest monthly advance since a similar rise in
 January 1984.  The indexes for pork and for other meats increased 1.1 and
 1.7 percent, respectively.  Poultry prices, which declined in December and
 January, increased 1.2 percent in February.  The index for fruits and
 vegetables rose 0.8 percent in February, following a 1.2 percent decline
 in January.  The indexes for fresh vegetables and for processed fruits and
 vegetables increased 1.5 and 0.9 percent, respectively, while the index
 for fresh fruits declined 0.1 percent.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment,
 prices for fresh fruits and fresh vegetables declined 3.7 and 1.1 percent,
 respectively, while prices for processed fruits and vegetables rose 0.6
 percent.)  The index for dairy products, which declined 0.5 percent in
 January, increased 0.5 percent in February, largely as a result of a
 turnaround in the index for cheese and related products.  The index for
 nonalcoholic beverages declined for the second consecutive month, down 0.4
 percent in February, reflecting another decline in the index for
 carbonated drinks.  The remaining two major grocery store food groups--
 cereals and bakery products and other food at home--increased 0.9 and 0.4
 percent, respectively.  The index for food away from home increased 0.4
 percent, while the index for alcoholic beverages decreased 0.2 percent
      
      The index for housing rose 0.3 percent in February.  Shelter costs,
 which increased 0.3 percent in January, were virtually unchanged in
 February.  Within shelter, the indexes for rent and owners' equivalent
 rent each increased 0.2 percent, while the index for lodging away from
 home fell 1.8 percent.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment, the index for
 lodging away from home rose 2.9 percent.)  The index for fuels and
 utilities rose 2.0 percent in February.  The index for fuel oil increased
 15.8 percent in February, and prices for fuel oil were 48.6 percent higher
 than in February 2002.  The index for natural gas rose 5.5 percent,
 bringing the increase in the past 12 months to 18.5 percent.  The index
 for electricity increased 0.1 percent in February, but declined 0.2
 percent in the last 12 months.  The index for household furnishings and
 operations rose 0.2 percent in February.
      
      The transportation index, which rose 1.1 percent in January, advanced
 2.0 percent in February.  The index for gasoline rose 9.9 percent in
 February, following a 6.6 percent rise in January, accounting for
 virtually all of the February advance in the transportation component.
 (Prior to seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices rose 11.1 percent in
 February.)  As of February the price of gasoline was 4.3 percent lower
 than its peak level of May 2001.  The index for new vehicles decreased 0.1
 percent in February and during the last 12 months has fallen 1.4 percent.
 (As of January, about 90 percent of the new vehicle sample was represented
 by 2003 models.)  The index for used cars and trucks rose 0.4 percent in
 February, but this index has declined 3.6 percent in the last 12 months.
 Airline fares rose 1.2 percent in February, but are 3.2 percent lower than
 a year earlier.
      
      The index for apparel declined 0.2 percent in February.  (Prior to
 seasonal adjustment, apparel prices rose 2.1 percent, reflecting the
 introduction of women's and girls' spring-summer apparel wear.)
      
      Medical care costs rose 0.1 percent in February to a level 4.5
 percent higher than a year ago.  The index for medical care commodities--
 prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--was
 virtually unchanged.  The index for medical care services rose 0.2 percent
 in February.  Charges for professional services and for hospital and
 related services increased 0.1 and 0.4 percent, respectively.
      
      The index for recreation rose 0.3 percent in February.  Increases in
 the indexes for club membership dues and fees for participant sports and
 for admissions to movies, theaters, concerts, and sporting events--up 1.2
 and 0.9 percent, respectively--more than offset small declines in the
 indexes for toys, for sporting goods, and for photography.   The indexes
 for video and audio and for pets, pet products and services were unchanged
 in February.
      
      The index for education and communication increased 0.2 percent in
 February, following a 0.5 percent rise in January.  In February, the
 education index rose 0.5 percent, while the index for communication costs
 fell 0.1 percent.  Within the latter group, a 2.9 percent increase in the
 index for delivery services was more than offset by a 2.1 percent decline
 in the index for personal computers and peripheral equipment.
      
      The index for other goods and services rose 0.3 percent in February.
 The index for miscellaneous personal services rose 0.5 percent, reflecting
 increases of 1.2 and 0.9 percent in charges for legal services and for
 financial services, respectively.  The index for cigarettes was unchanged
 in February after declining 0.1 percent in January, but has advanced 5.3
 percent during the last 12 months.
      
 CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)
 
      On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and
 Clerical Workers increased 0.7 percent in February.
 

 Table B.  Percent changes in CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical
           Workers (CPI-W)
                                   Seasonally adjusted                Un-
                                                          Compound  adjusted
     Expenditure        Changes from preceding month    annual rate  12-mos.
      Category                 2002              2003   3-mos. ended  ended
                     Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.   Feb.'03   Feb.'03
 All Items            .2    .2   .2   .1   .1   .3   .7    4.6       3.2
  Food and beverages -.1    .2   .1   .3   .2  -.1   .6    2.7       1.4
  Housing             .2    .2   .3   .2   .2   .4   .3    3.7       2.8
  Apparel            1.0   -.2  -.3  -.2  -.2 -1.0  -.2   -5.4      -2.5
  Transportation      .2    .2   .5  -.3  -.3  1.2  2.2   13.1       7.5
  Medical care        .3    .3   .6   .5   .4   .1   .1    2.8       4.7
  Recreation          .0   -.1   .2   .0   .3   .1   .2    2.3        .9
  Education and                                                         
    communication     .6   -.1  -.1   .0   .2   .4   .2    3.0       1.9
  Other goods and                                                     
    services          .8    .6  -.9   .0   .0   .2   .3    1.8       2.7
  Special indexes                                                       
    Energy            .2    .4  1.6  -.6  -.6  4.2  6.1   46.0      23.0
    Food             -.1    .2   .1   .3   .2  -.2   .7    3.0       1.4
    All items less                                                         
      food and energy .3    .1   .1   .1   .2   .1   .1    1.3       1.7


 Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U)
 
      The C-CPI-U increased 0.8 percent in February on a not seasonally
 adjusted basis.  The February level of 107.2 (December 1999=100) was 2.6
 percent higher than in February 2002.  Table 7 contains the most recent
 indexes for all items and the component series that are published.   Data
 will be published monthly in the CPI Detailed Report and are available on
 the CPI home page:  http://www.bls.gov/cpi/. Please note that the indexes
 for the post-2001 period are subject to revision.
 
 
     Consumer Price Index data for March are scheduled for release on
 Wednesday, April 16, 2003, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).
       
 __________________________________________________________________________     
  

 Facilities for Sensory Impaired

      Information from this release will be made available to sensory
 impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-691-5200, Federal
 Relay Services:  1-800-877-8339.  For a recorded message of Summary CPI
 data, call (202) 691-5200.
 
 ___________________________________________________________________________
 

 Brief Explanation of the CPI
 
     The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in
 prices over time of goods and services purchased by households.  The
 Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups:  (1)
 the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which covers
 households of wage earners and clerical workers that comprise
 approximately 32 percent of the total population and (2) the CPI for All
 Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the Chained CPI for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-
 U), which cover approximately 87 percent of the total population and
 include in addition to wage earners and clerical worker households,
 groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-
 employed, short-term workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not
 in the labor force.
 
      The CPIs are based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, and fuels,
 transportation fares, charges for doctors' and dentists' services, drugs,
 and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living.
 Prices are collected in 87 urban areas across the country from about
 50,000 housing units and approximately 23,000 retail establishments-
 department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other
 types of stores and service establishments.  All taxes directly associated
 with the purchase and use of items are included in the index.  Prices of
 fuels and a few other items are obtained every month in all 87 locations.
 Prices of most other commodities and services are collected every month in
 the three largest geographic areas and every other month in other areas.
 Prices of most goods and services are obtained by personal visits or
 telephone calls of the Bureau's trained representatives.
 
      In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each
 location are averaged together with weights, which represent their
 importance in the spending of the appropriate population group.  Local
 data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average.  For the CPI-U and
 CPI-W separate indexes are also published by size of city, by region of
 the country, for cross-classifications of regions and population-size
 classes, and for 27 local areas.  Area indexes do not measure differences
 in the level of prices among cities, they only measure the average change
 in prices for each area since the base period.  For the C-CPI-U data are
 issued only at the national level.  It is important to note that the CPI-U
 and CPI-W are considered final when released, but the C-CPI-U is issued in
 preliminary form and subject to two annual revisions.
 
      The index measures price change from a designed reference date.  For
 the CPI-U and the CPI-W the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100.0. The
 reference base for the C-CPI-U is December 1999 equals 100.
 An increase of 16.5 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown
 as 116.5.  This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows:  the
 price of a base period market basket of goods and services in the CPI has
 risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65.
 
      For further details visit the CPI home page on the Internet at
 http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ or contact our CPI Information and Analysis
 Section on (202) 691-7000.
  
 ___________________________________________________________________________ 
 
  
       Calculating Index Changes
       
            Movements of the indexes from one month to another are
       usually expressed as percent changes rather than changes in index 
       points, because index point changes are affected by the level of 
       the index in relation to its base period while percent changes are 
       not.  The example below illustrates the computation of index point 
       and percent changes.
       
            Percent changes for 3-month and 6-month periods are expressed 
       as annual rates and are computed according to the standard formula 
       for compound growth rates.  These data indicate what the percent 
       change would be if the current rate were maintained for a 12-month 
       period.
       
         
                    Index Point Change
       
       CPI   					115.7
       Less previous index    			111.2
       Equals index point change  		4.5
       
       
                    Percent Change
       
       Index point difference			4.5
       Divided by the previous index		111.2
       Equals					0.040
       Results multiplied by one hundred	0.040 x 100
       Equals percent change			4.0

 ___________________________________________________________________________


 Regions Defined
 
 The states in the four regions shown in Tables 3 and 6 are listed below.
 
 The Northeast--Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York,
 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

 The Midwest--Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,
 Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

 The South--Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
 Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
 Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of
 Columbia.

 The West--Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana,
 Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

 _________________________________________________________________________


 A Note on Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data
 
   Because price data are used for different purposes by different groups,
 the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes seasonally adjusted as well as
 unadjusted changes each month.
   
   For analyzing general price trends in the economy, seasonally adjusted
 changes are usually preferred since they eliminate the effect of changes
 that normally occur at the same time and in about the same magnitude every
 year--such as price movements resulting from changing climatic conditions,
 production cycles, model changeovers, holidays, and sales.
   
   The unadjusted data are of primary interest to consumers concerned about
 the prices they actually pay.  Unadjusted data also are used extensively
 for escalation purposes.  Many collective bargaining contract agreements
 and pension plans, for example, tie compensation changes to the Consumer
 Price Index unadjusted for seasonal variation.
   
   Seasonal factors used in computing the seasonally adjusted indexes are
 derived by the X-12-ARIMA Seasonal Adjustment Method.  The updated
 seasonal data at the end of 1977 replaced data from 1967 through 1977.
 Subsequent annual updates have replaced 5 years of seasonal data; e.g.,
 data from 1998 through 2002 were replaced at the end of 2002.  In January
 2002, dependently seasonally adjusted series were revised for January 1987-
 December 2001 as a result of a change in the aggregation weights for
 dependently adjusted series. For further information, please see
 "Aggregation of Dependently Adjusted Seasonally Adjusted Series," in the
 October 2001 issue of the CPI Detailed Report.
   
   The seasonal movement of all items and 54 other aggregations is derived
 by combining the seasonal movement of 73 selected components.  Each year
 the seasonal status of every series is reevaluated based upon certain
 statistical criteria.  If any of the 73 components change their seasonal
 adjustment status from seasonally adjusted to not seasonally adjusted, not
 seasonally adjusted data will be used for the last 5 years, but the
 seasonally adjusted indexes will be used before that period.  Note: 44 of
 the 73 components are seasonally adjusted for 2003.
   
   Seasonally adjusted data, including the All items index levels, are
 subject to revision for up to five years after their original release.
 For this reason, BLS advises against the use of these data in escalation
 agreements.
 
   Effective with the calculation of the seasonal factors for 1990, the
 Bureau of Labor Statistics has used an enhanced seasonal adjustment
 procedure called Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment for some CPI
 series.  Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment allows for better
 estimates of seasonally adjusted data.  Extreme values and/or sharp
 movements which might distort the seasonal pattern are estimated and
 removed from the data prior to calculation of seasonal factors.  Beginning
 with the calculation of seasonal factors for 1996, X-12-ARIMA software was
 used for Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment.
 
   For the fuel oil, natural gas, motor fuels, and educational books and
 supplies indexes, this procedure was used to offset the effects that
 extreme price volatility would otherwise have had on the estimates of
 seasonally adjusted data for those series.   For the Nonalcoholic
 beverages index, the procedure was used to offset the effects of a large
 increase in coffee prices due to adverse weather.  The procedure was used
 to account for unusual butter fat supply reductions and decreases in milk
 supply affecting the Fats and oils series.  For the Water and sewerage
 maintenance index, the procedure was used to account for a data collection
 anomaly and dry weather in California.  It was used to offset an increase
 in demand due to warmer than expected weather and increased rates to
 conserve supplies for Electricity.  For New vehicles, New cars, and New
 trucks, the procedure was used to offset the effects of a model changeover
 combined with financing incentives.
 
   For a complete list of series that used Intervention Analysis
 Seasonal Adjustment, a list of unusual events modeled for them, or for a
 description of intervention analysis please write to the Bureau of Labor
 Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes, Washington, DC
 20212 or by calling Daniel Chow on (202) 691-6968 or sending e-mail to
 Chow_Dan@BLS.GOV.  If you have general questions about the CPI, please
 call our information staff at (202) 691-7000.