The Consumer Price Index (CPI) released this October showed a 3.7 percent increase in all items over the last 12 months. This extends a pattern of consumer prices slowly declining, but not enough to offset the effects on households.
The food index increased 0.2 percent in September, as it did in the previous two months. Food at home increased 0.1 percent over the month while the index for food away from home rose 0.4 percent.
The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index rose 0.2 percent for the year and 0.5 percent in September as the index for pork increased 1.6 percent.
Chicken, in particular, declined 2.1 percent over the past year while rising 0.1 percent since August.
The energy index rose 1.5 percent in September after increasing 5.6 percent in August. The energy index fell 0.5 percent over the past year with its components mixed. Natural gas fell 19.9 percent, and the fuel index fell 5.1 percent over the span. The gasoline index increased three percent over the past twelve months, while the index for electricity rose 2.6 percent over the last year.
The full CPI report can be found here.
