CPI in April 2009

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in April 2009 after declining 0.1 percent in March. The CPI-U (not seasonally adjusted) has fallen 0.7 percent over the last 12 months.

[Chart data—TXT]

The energy index declined for the second straight month, falling 2.4 percent in April 2009 after declining 3.0 percent in March.

The food index declined as well, falling 0.2 percent in April after a 0.1-percent decrease in March. Over the past year, the food index has risen 3.3 percent while the energy index has declined 25.2 percent.

Offsetting the declines in the food and energy indexes in April was a 0.3-percent increase in the index for all items less food and energy. Over 40 percent of the increase was due to a second consecutive large increase in the tobacco index. The index for all items less food and energy has risen 1.9 percent over the past year.

For the 12-month period ending in April 2009, the CPI-U decreased 0.7 percent, as shown in the chart. The year-over-year declines in March and April are the first since 1955.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. To learn more, see "Consumer Price Index: April 2009" (PDF) (HTML), news release USDL 09-0511.