Consumer Price Index

January 2010

On a seasonally adjusted basis the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent from November. The December CPI-U increased 2.7 percent from December 2008. The annual average for 2009 was 0.4 percent less than 2008. This was the first decrease in the annual average from the previous year since 1955, and only the third since World War II. The index for energy rose 0.2 percent in December, after rising 4.1 percent in November. The food index rose 0.2 percent in December, after rising 0.1 percent in November. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in December.