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                     CONSUMER PRICE INDEX:  MARCH 2005
 
      The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased
 0.8 percent in March, before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor
 Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  The March
 level of 193.3 (1982-84=100) was 3.1 percent higher than in March 2004.
      
      The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
 (CPI-W) increased 0.7 percent in March, prior to seasonal adjustment.  The
 March level of 188.6 was 3.1 percent higher than in March 2004.
      
      The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U)
 increased 0.7 percent in March on a not seasonally adjusted basis.  The
 March level of 112.5 (December 1999=100) was 2.6 percent higher than in
 March 2004.  Please note that the indexes for the post-2002 period are
 subject to revision.
      
 CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
      
      On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.6 percent in March,
 following an increase of 0.4 percent in February.  Energy costs advanced
 sharply for the second consecutive month--up 4.0 percent in March.  Within
 energy, the index for petroleum-based energy increased 7.8 percent, while
 the index for energy services decreased 0.3 percent.  The index for food
 rose 0.2 percent, as the index for food at home turned up in March after
 registering declines in each of the preceding three months.  The index for
 all items less food and energy, which rose 0.3 percent in February,
 increased 0.4 percent in March.  An upturn in the index for apparel and a
 larger increase in the index for lodging while away from home accounted
 for the larger advance in March.


 Table A.  Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
                                   Seasonally adjusted                Un-
                                                         Compound   adjusted
     Expenditure        Changes from preceding month   annual rate   12-mos.
      Category               2004             2005     3-mos. ended  ended
                     Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.   Mar. '05  Mar. '05
 All Items            .2    .6   .3   .0   .1   .4  .6     4.3       3.1
  Food and beverages  .0    .5   .3   .0   .1   .1  .2     1.5       2.5
  Housing             .3    .2   .3   .2   .1   .4  .5     3.8       3.3
  Apparel             .0    .0   .2  -.4   .3  -.2  .8     3.4        .0
  Transportation      .2   2.1   .2  -.7  -.2   .8 1.9    10.3       5.2
  Medical care        .3    .4   .3   .3   .4   .6  .5     6.0       4.3
  Recreation          .2    .1   .1   .0   .1  -.2  .0     -.4        .2
  Education and                                                         
    communication     .4   -.2   .4   .1   .1   .3  .2     2.2       1.4
  Other goods and                                                     
    services          .2    .2   .1   .4   .4   .3  .1     3.3       2.7
  Special Indexes                                                       
   Energy            -.3   4.0  1.0 -1.3 -1.1  2.0 4.0    21.1      12.4
   Food              -.1    .6   .3   .0   .1   .1  .2     1.3       2.5
   All Items less                                                       
     food and energy  .3    .2   .2   .2   .2   .3  .4     3.3       2.3

     
      For the first three months of 2005, consumer prices increased at a
 seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 4.3 percent.  This compares with
 an increase of 3.3 percent for all of 2004.  The index for energy, which
 rose 16.6 percent in 2004, advanced at a 21.1 percent SAAR in the first
 quarter of 2005 and accounted for about three-eights of the first quarter
 advance in the overall CPI-U.  Petroleum-based energy costs increased at a
 39.6 percent annual rate and charges for energy services rose at a 2.3
 percent annual rate.  The food index rose at a 1.3 percent SAAR in the
 first quarter of 2005.  The index for grocery store food prices decreased
 at a 0.8 percent annual rate, reflecting a decline in the index for fruits
 and vegetables--down at an annual rate of 21.1 percent.
      
      Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U advanced at a 3.3 percent SAAR
 in the first quarter, following a 2.2 percent rise in all of 2004.  While
 most categories advanced at a faster rate in the first quarter of 2005
 than in all of 2004, about 70 percent of the acceleration was accounted
 for by a larger increase in the index for shelter--up at a 4.4 percent
 SAAR in the first quarter after increasing 2.7 percent in all of 2004.  An
 upturn in the index for apparel and a larger increase in the index for
 medical care also contributed to the acceleration in the first quarter of
 2005.  The annual rates for selected groups for the last seven and one-
 quarter years are shown below.

     
                             Percentage change 12 months                SAAR 3
                             ended in December                          mos. ended
                                                                        in March 
                        1998    1999   2000   2001   2002   2003   2004   2005
 All items               1.6     2.7    3.4    1.6    2.4    1.9    3.3    4.3  
  Food and beverages     2.3     2.0    2.8    2.8    1.5    3.5    2.6    1.5
  Housing                2.3     2.2    4.3    2.9    2.4    2.2    3.0    3.8
  Apparel                -.7     -.5   -1.8   -3.2   -1.8   -2.1    -.2    3.4
  Transportation        -1.7     5.4    4.1   -3.8    3.8     .3    6.5   10.3  
  Medical care           3.4     3.7    4.2    4.7    5.0    3.7    4.2    6.0
  Recreation             1.2      .8    1.7    1.5    1.1    1.1     .7    -.4  
  Education and
   communication          .7     1.6    1.3    3.2    2.2    1.6    1.5    2.2 
  Other goods and     
   services              8.8     5.1    4.2    4.5    3.3    1.5    2.5    3.3
                                                                           
 Special indexes
  Energy                -8.8    13.4   14.2  -13.0   10.7    6.9   16.6   21.1
   Energy commodities  -15.1    29.5   15.7  -24.5   23.7    6.9   26.7   39.6
   Energy services      -3.3     1.2   12.7   -1.5     .4    6.9    6.8    2.3
  All items less energy  2.4     2.0    2.6    2.8    1.8    1.5    2.2    2.9
   Food                  2.3     1.9    2.8    2.8    1.5    3.6    2.7    1.3
  All items less
   food and energy       2.4     1.9    2.6    2.7    1.9    1.1    2.2    3.3


     
      The food and beverages index increased 0.2 percent in March.  The
 index for food at home, which had declined in each of the preceding three
 months, advanced 0.2 percent in March.  The indexes for nonalcoholic
 beverages, for dairy products, and for other food at home, each of which
 had declined in February, turned up in March, accounting for 95 percent of
 the acceleration in the food at home index.  Also contributing to the
 upturn were a smaller decline in the index for fruits and vegetables and a
 larger increase in the index for cereal and bakery products.  Partially
 offsetting these changes was a smaller increase in the index for meats,
 poultry, fish, and eggs.  Within the latter group, poultry and beef prices
 rose 1.6 and 0.7 percent, respectively, while the indexes for pork and for
 fish and seafood declined 0.8 and 0.4 percent, respectively.  The index
 for eggs, which rose 3.0 percent in February, declined 4.5 percent in
 March.  The index for fruits and vegetables declined 0.5 percent in March,
 its fourth consecutive monthly decline.  The indexes for fresh fruits and
 for processed fruits and vegetables declined 2.6 and 0.2 percent,
 respectively, while the index for fresh vegetables increased 1.6 percent.
 The index for milk, which declined 1.0 percent in February, rose 1.3
 percent in March, accounting for the upturn in the index for dairy
 products.   The index for cereals and bakery products increased 0.2
 percent in March, following a 0.1 percent rise in February.  The other two
 components of the food and beverage index--food away from home and
 alcoholic beverages--increased 0.2 and 0.3 percent, respectively.
      
      The index for housing rose 0.5 percent in March.  Shelter costs,
 which rose 0.3 percent in February, increased 0.6 percent in March,
 largely as a result of a 3.9 percent advance in the index for lodging away
 from home.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment, the index for lodging away from
 home rose 7.3 percent.)  The indexes for rent and owners' equivalent rent
 increased 0.2 and 0.3 percent, respectively.  The index for fuels and
 utilities rose 0.1 percent, following a 0.8 percent increase in February.
 The index for fuel oil increased 5.9 percent, while the index for gas and
 electricity declined 0.3 percent.  A 1.7 percent decrease in the index for
 natural gas more than offset a 0.4 percent increase in the index for
 electricity.  The index for household furnishings and operations was
 unchanged in March.
      
      The transportation index rose 1.9 percent in March, largely as a
 result of a 7.9 percent increase in the index for gasoline.  As of March,
 the price of gasoline was 4.2 percent higher than its previous peak level
 of June 2004.  The index for new vehicles turned down in March, declining
 0.4 percent, its first decrease in six months. During the last 12 months,
 new vehicle prices have risen 0.9 percent.  The index for used cars and
 trucks rose 0.1 percent in March to a level 5.0 percent above March 2004.
 The index for public transportation increased 1.3 percent in March,
 reflecting increases in the indexes for airline fares and for intracity
 transportation.  Airline fares registered their second consecutive
 advance, up 2.7 percent in March, but are 1.4 percent lower than a year
 ago.
      
      The index for apparel increased 0.8 percent in March.  (Prior to
 seasonal adjustment, apparel prices rose 4.0 percent, reflecting the
 continued introduction of spring-summer wear.  Prices for women's and
 girls' apparel registered the largest advance--up 7.1 percent.)
      
      Medical care costs rose 0.5 percent in March to a level 4.3 percent
 higher than a year ago.  The index for medical care commodities--
 prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--was
 virtually unchanged in March.  The index for medical care services rose
 0.6 percent in March.  Charges for professional services and for hospital
 and related services increased 0.4 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
      
      The index for recreation was unchanged in March.  Increases in the
 indexes for cable and satellite television and radio service, for
 admissions to sporting events, for recreational reading materials, and for
 pets, pet products and services were offset by declines in the indexes for
 club membership dues and fees for participant sports, for toys, and for
 sporting goods.
      
      The index for education and communication increased 0.2 percent in
 March.  The education index rose 0.5 percent, while the index for
 communication costs declined 0.2 percent.  Within the latter group, the
 index for telephone services decreased 0.1 percent, as a decline in long
 distance charges, both land line and wireless, more than offset an
 increase in local telephone charges.  The index for personal computers and
 peripheral equipment declined 0.7 percent in March and 15.2 percent during
 the last 12 months.
      
      The index for other goods and services rose 0.1 percent in March.
 The indexes for tobacco and smoking products and for personal care each
 increased 0.1 percent.  The index for miscellaneous personal services rose
 0.2 percent, reflecting a 0.4 percent increase in financial services
 associated with tax return preparation and other accounting fees.
      
  
 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 0.6 percent in March.
 


 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               2004             2005     3-mos. ended   ended                  
                    Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.   Mar.'05     Mar.'05
 All Items           .2    .6   .3  -.1   .1   .4  .6      4.4       3.1
  Food and beverages-.1    .5   .3   .0   .1   .1  .2      1.3       2.5
  Housing            .2    .2   .3   .2   .2   .4  .3      3.5       3.1
  Apparel            .1    .0   .2  -.3   .5  -.1  .5      3.7        .1
  Transportation     .4   2.2   .1  -.5  -.3   .8 2.1     10.6       5.7
  Medical care       .4    .3   .3   .3   .3   .6  .4      5.7       4.4
  Recreation         .1    .1   .1  -.1   .2  -.2  .0       .0        .0
  Education and                                                         
    communication    .4   -.3   .3   .1   .1   .3  .1      1.8        .8
  Other goods and                                                     
    services         .2    .1   .2   .4   .5   .4  .0      3.7       2.8
  Special Indexes                                                       
   Energy           -.3   4.2   .7 -1.3 -1.3  2.0 4.4     22.0      12.5
   Food             -.1    .6   .3   .0   .1   .1  .2      1.3       2.6
   All Items less                                                       
     food and energy .3    .2   .2   .2   .2   .3  .2      2.7       2.2
 


     Consumer Price Index data for April are scheduled for release on
 Wednesday, May 18, 2005, 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.  Seasonally adjusted
 indexes and seasonal factors are computed annually.  Each year, the last 5
 years of seasonally adjusted data are revised.  Data from January 2000
 through December 2004 were replaced in January 2005.  Exceptions to the
 usual revision schedule were: the updated seasonal data at the end of 1977
 replaced data from 1967 through 1977; and, 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: 43 of
 the 73 components are seasonally adjusted for 2005.
   
   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, utility (piped) 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 labor and
 supply problems for coffee.  The procedure was used to account for unusual
 butter fat supply reductions, changes in milk supply, and large swings in
 soybean oil inventories affecting the Fats and oils series.  For Dairy
 products, it mitigated the effects of significant changes in milk, butter
 and cheese production levels.  For Fresh vegetable series, the method was
 used to account for the effects of hurricane-related disruptions.  For
 Electricity, it was used to offset an increase in demand due to warmer
 than expected weather, increased rates to conserve supplies, and declining
 natural gas inventories.  For new vehicle series, the procedure was used
 to offset the effects of a model changeover combined with financing
 incentives.
   
        For additional information on seasonal adjustment in the CPI,
 please write to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Consumer
 Prices and Price Indexes, Washington, DC 20212 or contact Daniel Chow on
 (202) 691-6968 by e-mail at Chow.Daniel@bls.gov.  If you have general
 questions about the CPI, please call our information staff at (202) 691-
 7000.

 Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity
 and service group

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                   Unadjusted                           
                                                 Relative   Unadjusted indexes percent change to   Seasonally adjusted  
                                               importance,                      Mar. 2005 from-    percent change from- 
                     CPI-U                       December                                                               
                                                   2004       Feb.      Mar.                                            
                                                              2005      2005     Mar.     Feb.   Dec. to Jan. to Feb. to
                                                                                 2004     2005     Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items....................................    100.000     191.8     193.3      3.1      0.8     0.1     0.4     0.6 
 All items (1967=100).........................          -     574.5     579.0        -        -       -       -       - 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages..........................     15.291     189.3     189.6      2.5      0.2     0.1     0.1     0.2 
   Food.......................................     14.295     188.8     189.1      2.5      0.2     0.1     0.1     0.2 
    Food at home..............................      8.183     188.0     188.1      2.1      0.1    -0.2    -0.2     0.2 
     Cereals and bakery products..............      1.185     208.4     208.5      1.8      0.0     0.1     0.1     0.2 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs...........      2.272     183.9     184.3      2.7      0.2     0.2     0.3     0.2 
     Dairy and related products...............       .849     181.8     181.4      5.5     -0.2     2.2    -0.8     0.2 
     Fruits and vegetables....................      1.276     234.8     233.7      1.6     -0.5    -4.6    -0.7    -0.5 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials............................       .884     142.5     143.6      2.0      0.8     0.4    -0.1     1.0 
     Other food at home.......................      1.716     165.3     165.7      0.4      0.2     0.8    -0.2     0.2 
      Sugar and sweets........................       .296     164.2     162.6     -0.4     -1.0    -0.2     0.5    -0.9 
      Fats and oils...........................       .258     169.3     167.0      0.5     -1.4     0.6    -0.9    -1.3 
      Other foods (1).........................      1.163     179.7     181.3      0.5      0.9     1.1    -0.3     0.9 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......       .301     110.3     111.9      0.2      1.5    -0.6     0.2     1.5 
    Food away from home (1)...................      6.113     191.4     191.7      3.2      0.2     0.5     0.3     0.2 
     Other food away from home (2)............       .332     128.7     129.4      4.3      0.5     0.5     0.9     0.5 
   Alcoholic beverages (1)....................       .996     195.2     195.7      2.6      0.3     0.2     0.5     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing.....................................     41.993     192.7     194.1      3.3      0.7     0.1     0.4     0.5 
   Shelter....................................     32.686     222.5     224.4      3.0      0.9     0.2     0.3     0.6 
    Rent of primary residence (3).............      6.133     215.0     215.5      3.0      0.2     0.3     0.2     0.2 
    Lodging away from home (2)................      3.008     128.9     138.3      8.0      7.3    -0.7     1.1     3.9 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3) (4).....................     23.158     228.4     228.7      2.4      0.1     0.3     0.2     0.3 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..       .387     118.7     119.0      3.4      0.3    -0.2     0.2     0.3 
   Fuels and utilities........................      4.951     166.4     166.7      7.4      0.2    -0.1     0.8     0.1 
    Fuels.....................................      4.021     148.1     148.4      7.8      0.2    -0.3     0.8     0.1 
     Fuel oil and other fuels.................       .300     188.5     195.5     28.2      3.7    -4.9     1.4     4.6 
     Gas (piped) and electricity (3)..........      3.722     152.9     152.7      6.4     -0.1     0.1     0.8    -0.3 
    Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                
        services (2)..........................       .930     128.5     128.9      5.5      0.3     0.9     0.6     0.2 
   Household furnishings and operations.......      4.355     126.1     126.1      0.3      0.0     0.1    -0.2     0.0 
    Household operations (1) (2)..............       .707     128.6     128.3      3.8     -0.2     0.7     0.5    -0.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel.....................................      3.841     118.7     123.5      0.0      4.0     0.3    -0.2     0.8 
   Men's and boys' apparel....................       .977     116.3     119.6     -0.2      2.8     1.0    -0.2     0.4 
   Women's and girls' apparel.................      1.638     109.3     117.1     -0.4      7.1    -0.4    -0.6     2.0 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel.............       .188     118.1     119.0     -2.4      0.8     1.1    -0.7    -1.3 
   Footwear...................................       .765     121.1     122.8      2.2      1.4     1.4     0.8    -0.9 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation..............................     17.414     166.1     168.8      5.2      1.6    -0.2     0.8     1.9 
   Private transportation.....................     16.385     162.6     165.2      5.5      1.6    -0.2     0.8     2.0 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........      7.744      95.9      95.6      1.5     -0.3     0.4     0.1    -0.1 
     New vehicles.............................      4.692     139.9     139.1      0.9     -0.6     0.7     0.1    -0.4 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................      2.037     137.6     137.7      5.0      0.1     0.1     0.1     0.1 
    Motor fuel................................      3.969     164.3     175.9     16.9      7.1    -2.0     3.2     8.0 
     Gasoline (all types).....................      3.934     163.4     175.0     16.8      7.1    -2.1     3.2     7.9 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment (1).....       .364     110.9     110.9      2.9      0.0     0.6     0.3     0.0 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair......      1.341     203.9     204.7      3.1      0.4     0.4    -0.1     0.6 
   Public transportation......................      1.029     205.9     210.1      0.1      2.0    -0.8     0.0     1.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care................................      6.132     319.3     320.7      4.3      0.4     0.4     0.6     0.5 
   Medical care commodities...................      1.484     272.8     273.2      2.2      0.1     0.3     0.4     0.0 
   Medical care services......................      4.649     332.5     334.3      5.0      0.5     0.4     0.6     0.6 
    Professional services.....................      2.767     278.6     279.7      3.7      0.4     0.3     0.7     0.4 
    Hospital and related services (3).........      1.516     434.7     437.3      5.7      0.6     0.5     0.7     0.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................      5.733     109.0     109.0      0.2      0.0     0.1    -0.2     0.0 
   Video and audio (2)........................      1.691     104.3     104.6      0.3      0.3    -0.2    -0.5     0.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............      5.846     112.8     112.7      1.4     -0.1     0.1     0.3     0.2 
   Education (2)..............................      2.931     149.2     149.3      6.2      0.1     0.3     0.5     0.5 
    Educational books and supplies............       .220     359.9     360.6      3.4      0.2    -0.5     0.0     0.4 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare.      2.712     430.6     430.9      6.5      0.1     0.3     0.5     0.6 
   Communication (2)..........................      2.914      85.4      85.2     -2.9     -0.2     0.0     0.0    -0.2 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................      2.737      83.3      83.1     -3.0     -0.2    -0.1     0.1    -0.2 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............      2.187      95.1      95.0     -1.8     -0.1     0.0     0.3    -0.1 
     Information technology, hardware and                                                                               
         services (1) (5).....................       .550      14.0      14.0     -7.9      0.0     0.0    -1.4     0.0 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................       .192      13.5      13.4    -15.2     -0.7     0.7    -3.6    -0.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services....................      3.750     310.8     311.2      2.7      0.1     0.4     0.3     0.1 
   Tobacco and smoking products (1)...........       .804     496.1     496.6      4.9      0.1     1.9     0.4     0.1 
   Personal care..............................      2.946     184.4     184.7      2.1      0.2    -0.1     0.3     0.1 
    Personal care products (1)................       .658     153.9     153.0     -1.0     -0.6    -0.2     0.5    -0.6 
    Personal care services (1)................       .652     202.9     203.3      3.8      0.2     0.3     0.5     0.2 
    Miscellaneous personal services...........      1.454     299.8     300.8      3.2      0.3     0.0     0.1     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities..................................     40.239     156.5     158.2      2.9      1.1     0.0     0.4     0.9 
  Food and beverages..........................     15.291     189.3     189.6      2.5      0.2     0.1     0.1     0.2 
  Commodities less food and beverages.........     24.948     138.1     140.4      3.2      1.7    -0.1     0.5     1.4 
   Nondurables less food and beverages........     13.980     158.6     163.7      5.4      3.2    -1.2     0.3     1.7 
    Apparel...................................      3.841     118.7     123.5      0.0      4.0     0.3    -0.2     0.8 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel...............................     10.139     187.3     192.7      7.6      2.9    -1.3     1.8     3.2 
   Durables...................................     10.967     116.0     115.7      0.5     -0.3     0.3     0.1    -0.3 
 Services.....................................     59.761     226.8     228.0      3.2      0.5     0.2     0.3     0.4 
  Rent of shelter (4).........................     32.300     231.7     233.7      3.0      0.9     0.2     0.4     0.6 
  Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)....       .387     118.7     119.0      3.4      0.3    -0.2     0.2     0.3 
  Gas (piped) and electricity (3).............      3.722     152.9     152.7      6.4     -0.1     0.1     0.8    -0.3 
  Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                  
      services (2)............................       .930     128.5     128.9      5.5      0.3     0.9     0.6     0.2 
  Household operations (1) (2)................       .707     128.6     128.3      3.8     -0.2     0.7     0.5    -0.2 
  Transportation services.....................      6.235     222.4     223.3      1.6      0.4     0.0     0.0     0.4 
  Medical care services.......................      4.649     332.5     334.3      5.0      0.5     0.4     0.6     0.6 
  Other services..............................     10.833     265.8     266.1      2.5      0.1     0.2     0.2     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food..........................     85.705     192.3     194.0      3.2      0.9     0.1     0.4     0.7 
 All items less shelter.......................     67.314     181.9     183.2      3.2      0.7     0.1     0.3     0.7 
 All items less medical care..................     93.868     185.3     186.8      3.0      0.8     0.1     0.3     0.6 
 Commodities less food........................     25.943     140.2     142.5      3.3      1.6    -0.1     0.6     1.4 
 Nondurables less food........................     14.976     160.8     165.6      5.1      3.0    -1.2     0.4     1.5 
 Nondurables less food and apparel............     11.135     187.2     192.1      7.1      2.6    -1.2     1.8     3.0 
 Nondurables..................................     29.271     174.2     177.0      3.9      1.6    -0.5     0.2     0.9 
 Services less rent of shelter (4)............     27.462     238.0     238.5      3.4      0.2     0.1     0.1     0.3 
 Services less medical care services..........     55.113     218.0     219.2      3.1      0.6     0.2     0.3     0.4 
 Energy.......................................      7.991     155.2     160.8     12.4      3.6    -1.1     2.0     4.0 
 All items less energy........................     92.009     197.3     198.3      2.4      0.5     0.2     0.2     0.4 
  All items less food and energy..............     77.714     199.5     200.7      2.3      0.6     0.2     0.3     0.4 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities............................     21.674     140.3     141.1      0.6      0.6     0.3     0.0     0.0 
    Energy commodities........................      4.269     166.6     178.0     17.6      6.8    -2.2     3.1     7.8 
   Services less energy services..............     56.040     234.3     235.7      3.0      0.6     0.2     0.3     0.5 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar                                                                                
     (1982-84=$1.00)..........................          -    $ .521    $ .517        -        -       -       -       - 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar                                                                                
     (1967=$1.00).............................          -    $ .174    $ .173        -        -       -       -       - 

   1 Not seasonally adjusted.
   2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
   3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator.  All other item stratum index series were calculated
 using a geometric means estimator.
   4 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
   5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city average, by expenditure
 category and commodity and service group

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                                                 Seasonally adjusted indexes    Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent 
                                                                                               change for               
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                     CPI-U                                                           3 months ended--         6 months  
                                                                                                              ended--   
                                                 Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar.                                           
                                                 2004    2005    2005    2005                                           
                                                                                June   Sep.   Dec.   Mar.   Sep.   Mar. 
                                                                                2004   2004   2004   2005   2004   2005 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items....................................  191.2   191.3   192.0   193.2    4.3    0.6    3.4    4.3    2.5    3.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages..........................  188.9   189.1   189.2   189.6    4.6    1.1    3.2    1.5    2.8    2.4 
   Food.......................................  188.4   188.6   188.7   189.0    4.6    0.9    3.5    1.3    2.7    2.4 
    Food at home..............................  188.4   188.0   187.7   188.0    6.2   -1.5    4.6   -0.8    2.3    1.8 
     Cereals and bakery products..............  207.8   208.0   208.2   208.7    1.6    1.4    2.3    1.7    1.5    2.0 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs...........  183.2   183.5   184.0   184.4    6.4    1.5    0.4    2.6    3.9    1.5 
     Dairy and related products...............  179.2   183.1   181.6   181.9   48.5  -18.2   -3.7    6.2   10.2    1.1 
     Fruits and vegetables....................  247.3   235.9   234.2   233.1   -2.6    1.9   36.0  -21.1   -0.3    3.6 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials............................  141.2   141.7   141.5   142.9   -0.6    2.3    1.4    4.9    0.9    3.2 
     Other food at home.......................  164.2   165.5   165.1   165.5    2.2   -1.9   -2.2    3.2    0.1    0.5 
      Sugar and sweets........................  162.9   162.5   163.3   161.9   -0.2    2.0   -1.2   -2.4    0.9   -1.8 
      Fats and oils...........................  169.3   170.3   168.8   166.6   15.3   -4.6   -1.2   -6.2    4.9   -3.7 
      Other foods (1).........................  178.3   180.3   179.7   181.3    0.2   -2.4   -2.4    6.9   -1.1    2.1 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......  110.8   110.1   110.3   111.9   -2.8   -1.4    1.1    4.0   -2.1    2.5 
    Food away from home (1)...................  189.9   190.8   191.4   191.7    2.6    4.1    2.1    3.8    3.4    3.0 
     Other food away from home (2)............  126.9   127.5   128.7   129.4    2.9    2.3    3.5    8.1    2.6    5.8 
   Alcoholic beverages (1)....................  193.9   194.3   195.2   195.7    3.4    2.1    1.0    3.8    2.7    2.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing.....................................  192.1   192.3   193.0   193.9    3.7    2.6    3.0    3.8    3.1    3.4 
   Shelter....................................  221.3   221.7   222.4   223.7    3.4    2.6    1.8    4.4    3.0    3.1 
    Rent of primary residence (3).............  213.7   214.3   214.8   215.3    3.5    3.1    2.3    3.0    3.3    2.7 
    Lodging away from home (2)................  128.7   127.8   129.2   134.3    4.6    7.9    1.6   18.6    6.2    9.7 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3) (4).....................  227.0   227.6   228.1   228.7    3.1    2.0    1.6    3.0    2.5    2.3 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..  118.7   118.5   118.7   119.0    3.9    1.4    7.4    1.0    2.6    4.2 
   Fuels and utilities........................  167.7   167.6   168.9   169.0   11.7    3.8   10.9    3.1    7.6    7.0 
    Fuels.....................................  150.1   149.7   150.9   151.0   13.2    3.4   12.6    2.4    8.2    7.4 
     Fuel oil and other fuels.................  185.2   176.1   178.6   186.9   22.9   37.4   54.2    3.7   29.9   26.5 
     Gas (piped) and electricity (3)..........  155.3   155.4   156.7   156.2   12.5    1.1   10.1    2.3    6.6    6.2 
    Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                
        services (2)..........................  126.5   127.7   128.5   128.7    6.0    5.9    2.9    7.1    6.0    5.0 
   Household furnishings and operations.......  126.0   126.1   125.9   125.9   -0.3   -0.6    2.6   -0.3   -0.5    1.1 
    Household operations (1) (2)..............  127.0   127.9   128.6   128.3    3.6    4.6    2.9    4.2    4.1    3.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel.....................................  119.9   120.3   120.0   120.9    0.7   -3.3   -0.7    3.4   -1.3    1.3 
   Men's and boys' apparel....................  116.4   117.6   117.4   117.9    1.0   -5.3   -1.4    5.3   -2.2    1.9 
   Women's and girls' apparel.................  111.9   111.5   110.8   113.0    1.1   -6.2   -0.4    4.0   -2.6    1.8 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel.............  118.1   119.4   118.6   117.1   -6.2    1.0   -1.0   -3.3   -2.6   -2.2 
   Footwear...................................  120.3   122.0   123.0   121.9   -0.7    6.5   -2.0    5.4    2.9    1.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation..............................  165.6   165.3   166.6   169.7    9.5   -4.8    6.5   10.3    2.1    8.4 
   Private transportation.....................  162.0   161.7   163.0   166.2   10.3   -4.4    6.4   10.8    2.7    8.6 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........   95.0    95.4    95.5    95.4   -0.4    2.6    2.6    1.7    1.1    2.1 
     New vehicles.............................  137.8   138.8   139.0   138.5    0.9   -4.3    5.1    2.0   -1.7    3.6 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................  137.3   137.5   137.6   137.7   -1.8   19.3    2.4    1.2    8.2    1.8 
    Motor fuel................................  165.7   162.4   167.6   181.0   45.1  -23.3   17.7   42.4    5.5   29.4 
     Gasoline (all types).....................  165.0   161.6   166.8   180.0   45.7  -23.4   17.7   41.6    5.7   29.1 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment (1).....  109.9   110.6   110.9   110.9    1.5    4.1    2.2    3.7    2.8    2.9 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair......  203.0   203.8   203.5   204.7    2.9    2.0    4.2    3.4    2.4    3.8 
   Public transportation......................  209.5   207.9   208.0   210.8   -3.7   -5.5    8.0    2.5   -4.6    5.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care................................  315.6   316.9   318.7   320.2    3.8    3.8    3.8    6.0    3.8    4.9 
   Medical care commodities...................  271.2   272.1   273.1   273.2    2.9    2.2    0.7    3.0    2.6    1.9 
   Medical care services......................  328.1   329.5   331.5   333.6    4.1    4.3    4.8    6.9    4.2    5.8 
    Professional services.....................  275.5   276.2   278.0   279.2    3.2    3.7    2.7    5.5    3.4    4.1 
    Hospital and related services (3).........  427.7   429.7   432.6   435.5    5.6    3.3    6.1    7.5    4.5    6.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................  108.9   109.0   108.8   108.8    0.7   -0.4    0.7   -0.4    0.2    0.2 
   Video and audio (2)........................  104.5   104.3   103.8   104.3    0.8    0.4    0.8   -0.8    0.6    0.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............  112.3   112.4   112.7   112.9    1.1    1.8    1.1    2.2    1.4    1.6 
   Education (2)..............................  147.9   148.3   149.0   149.8    6.7    6.9    6.2    5.2    6.8    5.7 
    Educational books and supplies............  358.9   357.1   357.0   358.5    4.7    1.7    7.8   -0.4    3.2    3.6 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare.  426.6   428.0   430.2   432.6    6.7    7.5    5.9    5.7    7.1    5.8 
   Communication (2)..........................   85.4    85.4    85.4    85.2   -4.0   -2.7   -3.7   -0.9   -3.4   -2.3 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................   83.3    83.2    83.3    83.1   -4.6   -2.8   -3.8   -1.0   -3.7   -2.4 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............   94.8    94.8    95.1    95.0   -3.7   -2.1   -2.1    0.8   -2.9   -0.6 
     Information technology, hardware and                                                                               
         services (1) (5).....................   14.2    14.2    14.0    14.0   -7.7   -5.3  -12.9   -5.5   -6.5   -9.3 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................   13.9    14.0    13.5    13.4   -7.4  -12.3  -26.3  -13.6   -9.9  -20.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services....................  308.5   309.6   310.6   311.0    1.7    3.2    2.8    3.3    2.5    3.0 
   Tobacco and smoking products (1)...........  484.8   493.9   496.1   496.6    2.0    5.9    1.6   10.1    4.0    5.8 
   Personal care..............................  183.8   183.7   184.3   184.5    1.6    2.4    3.1    1.5    2.0    2.3 
    Personal care products (1)................  153.4   153.1   153.9   153.0   -1.8   -0.8   -0.3   -1.0   -1.3   -0.7 
    Personal care services (1)................  201.2   201.9   202.9   203.3    2.3    4.5    4.3    4.2    3.4    4.3 
    Miscellaneous personal services...........  298.8   298.8   299.2   299.9    3.5    3.7    3.7    1.5    3.6    2.6 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities..................................  156.2   156.2   156.8   158.2    5.9   -2.5    3.7    5.2    1.6    4.4 
  Food and beverages..........................  188.9   189.1   189.2   189.6    4.6    1.1    3.2    1.5    2.8    2.4 
  Commodities less food and beverages.........  137.9   137.8   138.5   140.4    6.3   -4.6    4.2    7.5    0.7    5.8 
   Nondurables less food and beverages........  161.4   159.4   159.9   162.6   11.6   -5.7   13.7    3.0    2.6    8.2 
    Apparel...................................  119.9   120.3   120.0   120.9    0.7   -3.3   -0.7    3.4   -1.3    1.3 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel...............................  187.6   185.2   188.5   194.6   17.1   -9.6    9.0   15.8    2.9   12.3 
   Durables...................................  115.3   115.7   115.8   115.5   -1.0    0.3    2.5    0.7   -0.3    1.6 
 Services.....................................  225.7   226.2   226.9   227.9    3.5    2.7    2.7    4.0    3.1    3.3 
  Rent of shelter (4).........................  230.4   230.8   231.7   233.0    3.2    2.5    1.8    4.6    2.8    3.2 
  Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)....  118.7   118.5   118.7   119.0    3.9    1.4    7.4    1.0    2.6    4.2 
  Gas (piped) and electricity (3).............  155.3   155.4   156.7   156.2   12.5    1.1   10.1    2.3    6.6    6.2 
  Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                  
      services (2)............................  126.5   127.7   128.5   128.7    6.0    5.9    2.9    7.1    6.0    5.0 
  Household operations (1) (2)................  127.0   127.9   128.6   128.3    3.6    4.6    2.9    4.2    4.1    3.5 
  Transportation services.....................  222.2   222.3   222.3   223.1    1.1    1.6    2.4    1.6    1.4    2.0 
  Medical care services.......................  328.1   329.5   331.5   333.6    4.1    4.3    4.8    6.9    4.2    5.8 
  Other services..............................  264.5   265.0   265.5   266.0    2.2    3.1    2.5    2.3    2.6    2.4 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food..........................  191.6   191.8   192.5   193.9    4.3    0.6    3.2    4.9    2.5    4.0 
 All items less shelter.......................  181.5   181.6   182.2   183.4    4.8   -0.4    4.1    4.3    2.1    4.2 
 All items less medical care..................  184.8   184.9   185.5   186.7    4.3    0.4    3.3    4.2    2.3    3.7 
 Commodities less food........................  140.0   139.8   140.6   142.5    6.2   -4.2    4.1    7.3    0.9    5.7 
 Nondurables less food........................  163.3   161.4   162.1   164.6   10.9   -4.6   12.1    3.2    2.8    7.6 
 Nondurables less food and apparel............  187.2   185.0   188.3   193.9   15.9   -8.6    7.8   15.1    2.9   11.4 
 Nondurables..................................  175.3   174.4   174.7   176.3    9.0   -3.4    8.1    2.3    2.6    5.2 
 Services less rent of shelter (4)............  237.6   237.9   238.2   238.9    4.0    2.8    4.5    2.2    3.4    3.3 
 Services less medical care services..........  217.2   217.6   218.2   219.0    3.6    2.4    2.8    3.4    3.0    3.1 
 Energy.......................................  156.9   155.1   158.2   164.6   28.2  -11.3   15.3   21.1    6.7   18.2 
 All items less energy........................  196.4   196.8   197.1   197.8    2.5    1.9    2.3    2.9    2.2    2.6 
  All items less food and energy..............  198.5   198.9   199.4   200.1    2.3    1.8    2.0    3.3    2.1    2.7 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities............................  140.0   140.4   140.4   140.4    0.0   -0.3    1.4    1.1   -0.1    1.3 
    Energy commodities........................  167.7   164.0   169.1   182.3   43.6  -20.6   19.8   39.6    6.8   29.3 
   Services less energy services..............  232.9   233.4   234.1   235.2    3.0    2.8    2.3    4.0    2.9    3.1 

   1 Not seasonally adjusted.
   2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
   3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator.  All other item stratum index series were calculated
 using a geometric means estimator.
   4 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
   5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 3. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Selected areas, all items index 

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                All items                                  
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                               Prici-           Indexes             Percent change to    Percent change to 
                     CPI-U                       ng                                  Mar. 2005 from--      Feb. 2005 from--  
                                               sched-                                                                      
                                                 ule   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.                                           
                                                 (1)   2004   2005   2005   2005   Mar.   Jan.   Feb.   Feb.   Dec.   Jan. 
                                                                                   2004   2005   2005   2004   2004   2005 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                           
 U.S. city average............................   M    190.3  190.7  191.8  193.3    3.1    1.4    0.8    3.0    0.8    0.6 
                                                                                                                           
            Region and area size(2)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Northeast urban..............................   M    201.9  202.6  203.6  206.0    3.7    1.7    1.2    3.5    0.8    0.5 
   Size A - More than 1,500,000...............   M    204.1  205.0  206.0  208.6    3.9    1.8    1.3    3.6    0.9    0.5 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    119.2  119.4  120.1  121.3    3.3    1.6    1.0    3.0    0.8    0.6 
                                                                                                                           
 Midwest urban................................   M    183.8  184.1  185.2  186.3    2.9    1.2    0.6    2.8    0.8    0.6 
   Size A - More than 1,500,000...............   M    185.7  185.9  187.1  188.3    2.8    1.3    0.6    2.5    0.8    0.6 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    117.3  117.3  118.1  118.7    3.0    1.2    0.5    3.0    0.7    0.7 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000)................................   M    177.2  178.2  179.2  179.9    3.3    1.0    0.4    3.6    1.1    0.6 
                                                                                                                           
 South urban..................................   M    183.3  183.6  184.7  185.9    3.2    1.3    0.6    3.1    0.8    0.6 
   Size A - More than 1,500,000...............   M    184.9  185.2  186.6  187.9    3.4    1.5    0.7    3.2    0.9    0.8 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    117.1  117.1  117.7  118.4    3.0    1.1    0.6    3.0    0.5    0.5 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000)................................   M    181.9  182.3  183.1  184.5    3.8    1.2    0.8    3.6    0.7    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
 West urban...................................   M    194.2  194.5  195.7  197.1    2.5    1.3    0.7    2.6    0.8    0.6 
   Size A - More than 1,500,000...............   M    196.5  196.7  198.3  199.8    2.7    1.6    0.8    2.6    0.9    0.8 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    119.0  119.5  119.6  120.4    2.1    0.8    0.7    2.2    0.5    0.1 
                                                                                                                           
                 Size classes                                                                                              
                                                                                                                           
   A (4)......................................   M    174.0  174.3  175.5  177.0    3.2    1.5    0.9    3.0    0.9    0.7 
   B/C (3)....................................   M    117.7  117.9  118.5  119.2    2.8    1.1    0.6    2.9    0.7    0.5 
   D..........................................   M    182.4  183.0  183.7  184.8    3.3    1.0    0.6    3.3    0.7    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
            Selected local areas(5)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI...............   M    189.6  189.9  190.5  191.3    2.7    0.7    0.4    2.2    0.5    0.3 
 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA......   M    195.2  195.4  197.4  199.2    4.0    1.9    0.9    3.8    1.1    1.0 
 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island,                                                                                       
     NY-NJ-CT-PA..............................   M    206.8  208.1  208.9  212.4    4.4    2.1    1.7    3.9    1.0    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT..........   1        -  211.3      -  214.2    2.6    1.4      -      -      -      - 
 Cleveland-Akron, OH..........................   1        -  183.3      -  186.3    3.5    1.6      -      -      -      - 
 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX........................   1        -  180.0      -  181.3    2.0    0.7      -      -      -      - 
 Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (6)........   1        -  121.3      -  122.7    3.9    1.2      -      -      -      - 
                                                                                                                           
 Atlanta, GA..................................   2    183.2      -  185.3      -      -      -      -    2.5    1.1      - 
 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI..................   2    185.3      -  187.8      -      -      -      -    2.4    1.3      - 
 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX...............   2    170.0      -  174.6      -      -      -      -    3.6    2.7      - 
 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL....................   2    188.6      -  190.6      -      -      -      -    3.8    1.1      - 
 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,                                                                                    
     PA-NJ-DE-MD..............................   2    197.8      -  200.1      -      -      -      -    4.5    1.2      - 
 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA...........   2    199.5      -  201.2      -      -      -      -    1.6    0.9      - 
 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA.................   2    195.1      -  197.6      -      -      -      -    2.1    1.3      - 

   1 Areas on pricing schedule 2 (see Table 10) will appear next month. 
   2 Regions defined as the four Census regions.  See technical notes.
   3 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
   4 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
   5 In addition, the following metropolitan areas are published semiannually and appear in Tables 34 and 39 of the 
 January and July issues of the CPI Detailed Report: Anchorage, AK; Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN; Denver-Boulder-Greeley,
 CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO-KS; Milwaukee-Racine, WI; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI; Phoenix-Mesa, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA;
 Portland-Salem, OR-WA; St. Louis, MO-IL; San Diego, CA; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL.
   6 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 4. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): U.S. city average, by expenditure
 category and commodity and service group

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                   Unadjusted                           
                                                 Relative   Unadjusted indexes percent change to   Seasonally adjusted  
                                               importance,                      Mar. 2005 from-    percent change from- 
                     CPI-W                       December                                                               
                                                   2004       Feb.      Mar.                                            
                                                              2005      2005     Mar.     Feb.   Dec. to Jan. to Feb. to
                                                                                 2004     2005     Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items....................................    100.000     187.3     188.6      3.1      0.7     0.1     0.4     0.6 
 All items (1967=100).........................          -     557.9     561.9        -        -       -       -       - 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages..........................     17.024     188.8     189.1      2.5      0.2     0.1     0.1     0.2 
   Food.......................................     15.940     188.2     188.5      2.6      0.2     0.1     0.1     0.2 
    Food at home..............................      9.540     187.2     187.4      2.1      0.1    -0.3    -0.1     0.2 
     Cereals and bakery products..............      1.342     208.5     208.4      1.7      0.0     0.0     0.2     0.2 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs...........      2.845     183.9     184.3      2.6      0.2     0.2     0.3     0.2 
     Dairy and related products...............       .962     181.6     181.3      5.8     -0.2     2.2    -0.9     0.2 
     Fruits and vegetables....................      1.407     232.2     231.3      1.5     -0.4    -5.1    -0.6    -0.4 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials............................      1.051     141.8     143.0      2.1      0.8     0.4    -0.3     1.1 
     Other food at home.......................      1.934     165.0     165.3      0.4      0.2     0.9    -0.2     0.2 
      Sugar and sweets........................       .311     163.6     161.8     -0.5     -1.1    -0.3     0.9    -1.0 
      Fats and oils...........................       .311     169.1     167.2      0.7     -1.1     0.7    -0.9    -1.1 
      Other foods (1).........................      1.312     180.2     181.7      0.5      0.8     1.2    -0.3     0.8 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......       .341     110.9     112.5      0.3      1.4    -0.5     0.2     1.4 
    Food away from home (1)...................      6.400     191.2     191.6      3.2      0.2     0.5     0.3     0.2 
     Other food away from home (2)............       .251     128.4     129.1      4.3      0.5     0.3     0.9     0.6 
   Alcoholic beverages (1)....................      1.084     195.2     196.0      2.5      0.4     0.1     0.4     0.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing.....................................     38.973     188.1     188.9      3.1      0.4     0.2     0.4     0.3 
   Shelter....................................     29.902     215.7     216.8      2.7      0.5     0.2     0.4     0.4 
    Rent of primary residence (3).............      8.025     214.2     214.6      3.0      0.2     0.3     0.2     0.3 
    Lodging away from home (2)................      1.742     129.1     137.1      6.4      6.2    -0.9     1.7     2.9 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3) (4).....................     19.795     207.2     207.4      2.3      0.1     0.2     0.4     0.1 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..       .339     118.9     119.4      3.6      0.4    -0.1     0.1     0.4 
   Fuels and utilities........................      5.288     165.4     165.7      7.1      0.2    -0.1     0.8     0.1 
    Fuels.....................................      4.336     146.6     146.8      7.5      0.1    -0.3     0.7     0.1 
     Fuel oil and other fuels.................       .281     187.7     195.3     28.5      4.0    -5.9     1.3     4.9 
     Gas (piped) and electricity (3)..........      4.055     152.0     151.8      6.2     -0.1     0.1     0.7    -0.3 
    Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                
        services (2)..........................       .952     128.8     129.2      5.6      0.3     0.9     0.6     0.2 
   Household furnishings and operations.......      3.783     121.9     121.9      0.4      0.0     0.1    -0.2    -0.1 
    Household operations (1) (2)..............       .321     130.8     130.2      3.8     -0.5     0.8     0.4    -0.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel.....................................      4.208     118.6     123.0      0.1      3.7     0.5    -0.1     0.5 
   Men's and boys' apparel....................      1.063     116.1     119.6     -0.3      3.0     0.9     0.0     0.6 
   Women's and girls' apparel.................      1.664     109.3     116.8     -0.5      6.9    -0.4    -0.5     1.7 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel.............       .242     121.0     121.9     -2.6      0.7     1.7    -1.1    -1.4 
   Footwear...................................       .991     120.6     121.7      2.6      0.9     1.4     1.1    -0.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation..............................     19.845     164.7     167.6      5.7      1.8    -0.3     0.8     2.1 
   Private transportation.....................     19.072     162.2     164.9      5.9      1.7    -0.3     0.9     2.1 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........      9.146      94.7      94.5      2.1     -0.2     0.3     0.1    -0.1 
     New vehicles.............................      4.725     140.7     140.0      0.7     -0.5     0.6     0.1    -0.4 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................      3.536     138.4     138.5      4.9      0.1     0.1     0.1     0.1 
    Motor fuel................................      4.843     164.9     176.5     17.0      7.0    -2.1     3.2     8.0 
     Gasoline (all types).....................      4.803     164.1     175.7     16.9      7.1    -2.1     3.2     8.0 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment (1).....       .449     110.4     110.5      2.9      0.1     0.7     0.3     0.1 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair......      1.357     206.1     206.9      3.3      0.4     0.4     0.0     0.6 
   Public transportation......................       .773     204.9     209.0      0.5      2.0    -0.6     0.0     1.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care................................      5.014     318.9     320.3      4.4      0.4     0.3     0.6     0.4 
   Medical care commodities...................      1.126     266.3     266.6      2.0      0.1     0.3     0.3     0.0 
   Medical care services......................      3.888     333.0     334.8      5.1      0.5     0.4     0.7     0.5 
    Professional services.....................      2.270     281.2     282.3      3.7      0.4     0.3     0.6     0.3 
    Hospital and related services (3).........      1.276     430.9     433.6      5.8      0.6     0.6     0.6     0.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................      5.546     106.5     106.5      0.0      0.0     0.2    -0.2     0.0 
   Video and audio (2)........................      1.878     103.5     103.9      0.4      0.4    -0.2    -0.3     0.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............      5.498     110.7     110.7      0.8      0.0     0.1     0.3     0.1 
   Education (2)..............................      2.361     147.7     147.8      5.9      0.1     0.3     0.5     0.5 
    Educational books and supplies............       .217     361.5     362.4      3.6      0.2    -0.5     0.0     0.4 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare.      2.145     417.6     418.0      6.1      0.1     0.3     0.6     0.5 
   Communication (2)..........................      3.137      87.0      86.8     -2.8     -0.2     0.0     0.0    -0.2 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................      2.990      85.5      85.3     -3.0     -0.2     0.0     0.0    -0.2 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............      2.473      95.3      95.1     -1.9     -0.2    -0.1     0.4    -0.2 
     Information technology, hardware and                                                                               
         services (1) (5).....................       .517      14.6      14.5     -7.6     -0.7     0.0    -1.4    -0.7 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................       .171      13.3      13.2    -14.8     -0.8     0.0    -2.9    -0.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services....................      3.891     319.4     319.6      2.8      0.1     0.5     0.4     0.0 
   Tobacco and smoking products (1)...........      1.244     496.9     497.4      4.9      0.1     1.9     0.4     0.1 
   Personal care..............................      2.648     182.9     183.0      1.8      0.1    -0.1     0.3    -0.1 
    Personal care products (1)................       .712     154.2     153.3     -1.1     -0.6    -0.3     0.6    -0.6 
    Personal care services (1)................       .611     203.3     203.6      3.7      0.1     0.3     0.4     0.1 
    Miscellaneous personal services...........      1.160     299.8     300.8      3.2      0.3     0.0    -0.1     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities..................................     44.809     157.4     159.2      3.3      1.1    -0.1     0.4     1.0 
  Food and beverages..........................     17.024     188.8     189.1      2.5      0.2     0.1     0.1     0.2 
  Commodities less food and beverages.........     27.786     139.8     142.2      3.8      1.7    -0.1     0.6     1.5 
   Nondurables less food and beverages........     15.322     162.5     167.8      5.9      3.3    -1.3     0.4     1.8 
    Apparel...................................      4.208     118.6     123.0      0.1      3.7     0.5    -0.1     0.5 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel...............................     11.113     193.3     199.4      8.3      3.2    -1.4     2.0     3.6 
   Durables...................................     12.464     115.5     115.3      1.1     -0.2     0.3     0.1    -0.3 
 Services.....................................     55.191     222.3     223.2      3.0      0.4     0.2     0.4     0.3 
  Rent of shelter (4).........................     29.562     207.7     208.8      2.8      0.5     0.2     0.4     0.4 
  Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)....       .339     118.9     119.4      3.6      0.4    -0.1     0.1     0.4 
  Gas (piped) and electricity (3).............      4.055     152.0     151.8      6.2     -0.1     0.1     0.7    -0.3 
  Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                  
      services (2)............................       .952     128.8     129.2      5.6      0.3     0.9     0.6     0.2 
  Household operations (1) (2)................       .321     130.8     130.2      3.8     -0.5     0.8     0.4    -0.5 
  Transportation services.....................      6.166     223.4     224.0      1.8      0.3     0.1     0.0     0.3 
  Medical care services.......................      3.888     333.0     334.8      5.1      0.5     0.4     0.7     0.5 
  Other services..............................      9.907     257.8     258.1      2.1      0.1     0.2     0.2     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food..........................     84.060     187.0     188.5      3.2      0.8     0.1     0.4     0.7 
 All items less shelter.......................     70.098     179.0     180.4      3.3      0.8     0.0     0.4     0.7 
 All items less medical care..................     94.986     181.7     183.1      3.1      0.8     0.1     0.3     0.6 
 Commodities less food........................     28.870     141.7     144.1      3.7      1.7    -0.1     0.6     1.5 
 Nondurables less food........................     16.406     164.4     169.5      5.7      3.1    -1.3     0.5     1.7 
 Nondurables less food and apparel............     12.197     192.7     198.3      7.8      2.9    -1.3     1.8     3.5 
 Nondurables..................................     32.346     176.1     179.0      4.2      1.6    -0.6     0.3     1.0 
 Services less rent of shelter (4)............     25.628     211.2     211.6      3.3      0.2     0.1     0.2     0.2 
 Services less medical care services..........     51.303     214.0     214.7      2.8      0.3     0.1     0.3     0.2 
 Energy.......................................      9.179     155.0     160.9     12.5      3.8    -1.3     2.0     4.4 
 All items less energy........................     90.821     192.2     192.9      2.2      0.4     0.2     0.2     0.2 
  All items less food and energy..............     74.881     193.4     194.2      2.2      0.4     0.2     0.3     0.2 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities............................     23.745     140.5     141.3      0.9      0.6     0.4     0.0     0.0 
    Energy commodities........................      5.124     166.6     178.1     17.6      6.9    -2.3     3.1     7.9 
   Services less energy services..............     51.136     230.1     231.1      2.8      0.4     0.2     0.3     0.3 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar                                                                                
     (1982-84=$1.00)..........................          -    $ .534    $ .530        -        -       -       -       - 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar                                                                                
     (1967=$1.00).............................          -    $ .179    $ .178        -        -       -       -       - 

   1 Not seasonally adjusted.
   2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
   3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator.  All other item stratum index series were calculated
 using a geometric means estimator.
   4 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base
   5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 5. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city
 average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                                                 Seasonally adjusted indexes    Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent 
                                                                                               change for               
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                     CPI-W                                                           3 months ended--         6 months  
                                                                                                              ended--   
                                                 Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar.                                           
                                                 2004    2005    2005    2005                                           
                                                                                June   Sep.   Dec.   Mar.   Sep.   Mar. 
                                                                                2004   2004   2004   2005   2004   2005 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items....................................  186.7   186.9   187.6   188.7    4.4    0.7    3.3    4.4    2.5    3.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages..........................  188.4   188.5   188.6   189.0    4.9    0.9    3.2    1.3    2.8    2.3 
   Food.......................................  187.9   188.0   188.1   188.5    5.1    0.6    3.5    1.3    2.9    2.4 
    Food at home..............................  187.6   187.1   186.9   187.3    6.9   -1.7    4.4   -0.6    2.5    1.8 
     Cereals and bakery products..............  207.7   207.8   208.3   208.7    1.6    1.4    2.3    1.9    1.5    2.1 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs...........  183.2   183.5   184.0   184.4    6.9    1.1    0.4    2.6    3.9    1.5 
     Dairy and related products...............  179.0   183.0   181.4   181.7   52.2  -19.0   -3.9    6.2   11.0    1.0 
     Fruits and vegetables....................  245.6   233.1   231.8   230.9   -3.6    1.8   38.7  -21.9   -1.0    4.1 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials............................  140.6   141.1   140.7   142.2    0.3    2.0    1.4    4.6    1.2    3.0 
     Other food at home.......................  163.7   165.1   164.8   165.1    2.5   -1.9   -2.4    3.5    0.2    0.5 
      Sugar and sweets........................  162.0   161.5   162.9   161.3    0.0    2.2   -2.2   -1.7    1.1   -2.0 
      Fats and oils...........................  169.1   170.2   168.6   166.7   16.4   -4.8   -1.6   -5.6    5.3   -3.6 
      Other foods (1).........................  178.6   180.8   180.2   181.7    0.0   -2.4   -2.4    7.1   -1.2    2.2 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......  111.3   110.7   110.9   112.5   -2.8   -1.4    1.1    4.4   -2.1    2.7 
    Food away from home (1)...................  189.7   190.6   191.2   191.6    2.6    4.4    1.9    4.1    3.5    3.0 
     Other food away from home (2)............  126.9   127.3   128.4   129.2    3.3    2.3    4.2    7.4    2.8    5.8 
   Alcoholic beverages (1)....................  194.2   194.4   195.2   196.0    3.2    2.7    0.4    3.8    3.0    2.1 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing.....................................  187.4   187.7   188.4   189.0    3.8    2.4    3.0    3.5    3.1    3.3 
   Shelter....................................  214.4   214.8   215.6   216.4    3.1    2.5    1.9    3.8    2.8    2.8 
    Rent of primary residence (3).............  212.9   213.5   214.0   214.6    3.3    3.1    2.5    3.2    3.2    2.9 
    Lodging away from home (2)................  128.5   127.3   129.5   133.3    2.3    8.2    0.3   15.8    5.2    7.8 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3) (4).....................  205.9   206.4   207.2   207.4    2.8    2.0    1.6    2.9    2.4    2.3 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..  118.9   118.8   118.9   119.4    4.6    1.0    7.4    1.7    2.8    4.5 
   Fuels and utilities........................  166.8   166.7   168.0   168.1   11.7    3.3   10.5    3.2    7.4    6.7 
    Fuels.....................................  148.6   148.2   149.3   149.4   12.9    2.8   11.8    2.2    7.8    6.9 
     Fuel oil and other fuels.................  186.1   175.1   177.3   186.0   24.0   38.6   58.7   -0.2   31.1   25.9 
     Gas (piped) and electricity (3)..........  154.3   154.5   155.6   155.2   12.3    1.1    9.3    2.4    6.5    5.8 
    Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                
        services (2)..........................  126.8   128.0   128.8   129.0    6.0    5.6    3.5    7.1    5.8    5.3 
   Household furnishings and operations.......  121.8   121.9   121.7   121.6   -0.3   -0.7    3.0   -0.7   -0.5    1.2 
    Household operations (1) (2)..............  129.3   130.3   130.8   130.2    5.2    1.9    5.4    2.8    3.5    4.1 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel.....................................  119.5   120.1   120.0   120.6    0.0   -2.6   -0.7    3.7   -1.3    1.5 
   Men's and boys' apparel....................  116.0   117.1   117.1   117.8   -0.3   -5.0   -2.0    6.4   -2.7    2.1 
   Women's and girls' apparel.................  111.9   111.5   110.9   112.8    1.1   -6.2    0.4    3.3   -2.6    1.8 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel.............  120.9   123.0   121.7   120.0   -8.2    1.7   -0.7   -2.9   -3.4   -1.8 
   Footwear...................................  119.2   120.9   122.2   121.2   -1.7    6.6   -1.3    6.9    2.4    2.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation..............................  164.4   163.9   165.2   168.6    9.9   -3.6    6.8   10.6    2.9    8.7 
   Private transportation.....................  161.7   161.2   162.6   166.0   10.6   -3.7    6.7   11.1    3.2    8.9 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........   94.0    94.3    94.4    94.3   -0.9    5.3    2.6    1.3    2.2    1.9 
     New vehicles.............................  138.8   139.7   139.9   139.4    0.6   -3.7    4.4    1.7   -1.6    3.1 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................  138.1   138.3   138.4   138.5   -1.8   19.2    2.4    1.2    8.2    1.8 
    Motor fuel................................  166.4   162.9   168.1   181.6   45.3  -23.0   18.2   41.9    5.8   29.5 
     Gasoline (all types).....................  165.6   162.1   167.3   180.7   45.5  -23.5   18.3   41.8    5.5   29.5 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment (1).....  109.3   110.1   110.4   110.5    1.5    3.4    2.2    4.5    2.4    3.3 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair......  205.0   205.8   205.7   206.9    2.8    2.2    4.4    3.8    2.5    4.1 
   Public transportation......................  207.9   206.7   206.8   209.6   -4.2   -6.2    9.8    3.3   -5.2    6.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care................................  315.1   316.2   318.2   319.5    3.8    3.9    3.8    5.7    3.9    4.7 
   Medical care commodities...................  264.9   265.7   266.5   266.6    2.8    2.0    0.5    2.6    2.4    1.5 
   Medical care services......................  328.4   329.6   332.0   333.8    4.2    4.4    4.8    6.7    4.3    5.7 
    Professional services.....................  278.3   279.1   280.7   281.5    3.1    3.9    2.9    4.7    3.5    3.8 
    Hospital and related services (3).........  423.6   426.1   428.7   431.9    5.7    3.3    5.9    8.1    4.5    7.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................  106.4   106.6   106.4   106.4    1.1   -1.1    0.4    0.0    0.0    0.2 
   Video and audio (2)........................  103.7   103.5   103.2   103.6    1.2    0.4    0.4   -0.4    0.8    0.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............  110.3   110.4   110.7   110.8    0.0    1.1    0.4    1.8    0.5    1.1 
   Education (2)..............................  146.4   146.8   147.6   148.3    6.1    6.0    6.2    5.3    6.1    5.8 
    Educational books and supplies............  360.3   358.6   358.6   360.2    4.4    2.8    7.3   -0.1    3.6    3.5 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare.  413.8   415.2   417.6   419.7    6.2    6.5    6.1    5.8    6.4    6.0 
   Communication (2)..........................   87.0    87.0    87.0    86.8   -4.0   -2.7   -3.6   -0.9   -3.3   -2.3 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................   85.5    85.5    85.5    85.3   -4.5   -2.7   -3.7   -0.9   -3.6   -2.3 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............   95.0    94.9    95.3    95.1   -3.3   -2.5   -2.1    0.4   -2.9   -0.8 
     Information technology, hardware and                                                                               
         services (1) (5).....................   14.8    14.8    14.6    14.5   -7.4   -5.1  -10.1   -7.9   -6.3   -9.0 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................   13.7    13.7    13.3    13.2   -7.5  -10.1  -26.6  -13.8   -8.8  -20.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services....................  316.5   318.2   319.4   319.4    1.3    3.6    2.7    3.7    2.5    3.2 
   Tobacco and smoking products (1)...........  485.7   494.9   496.9   497.4    2.3    6.0    1.5   10.0    4.1    5.7 
   Personal care..............................  182.4   182.3   182.9   182.8    0.7    2.7    3.1    0.9    1.7    2.0 
    Personal care products (1)................  153.8   153.3   154.2   153.3   -1.8   -0.8   -0.5   -1.3   -1.3   -0.9 
    Personal care services (1)................  201.8   202.4   203.3   203.6    2.5    4.5    4.3    3.6    3.5    3.9 
    Miscellaneous personal services...........  299.5   299.5   299.2   299.9    3.6    4.2    4.2    0.5    3.9    2.4 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities..................................  157.2   157.1   157.7   159.3    6.1   -2.0    4.2    5.5    2.0    4.8 
  Food and beverages..........................  188.4   188.5   188.6   189.0    4.9    0.9    3.2    1.3    2.8    2.3 
  Commodities less food and beverages.........  139.5   139.4   140.2   142.3    6.9   -4.0    4.4    8.3    1.3    6.3 
   Nondurables less food and beverages........  165.3   163.2   163.9   166.8   12.8   -7.0   15.6    3.7    2.4    9.5 
    Apparel...................................  119.5   120.1   120.0   120.6    0.0   -2.6   -0.7    3.7   -1.3    1.5 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel...............................  193.6   190.9   194.7   201.8   18.8  -10.8   10.1   18.0    2.9   14.0 
   Durables...................................  115.0   115.3   115.4   115.1   -1.1    2.1    3.2    0.3    0.5    1.8 
 Services.....................................  221.4   221.8   222.6   223.2    3.4    2.4    2.9    3.3    2.9    3.1 
  Rent of shelter (4).........................  206.3   206.7   207.5   208.4    3.0    2.6    1.4    4.1    2.8    2.7 
  Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)....  118.9   118.8   118.9   119.4    4.6    1.0    7.4    1.7    2.8    4.5 
  Gas (piped) and electricity (3).............  154.3   154.5   155.6   155.2   12.3    1.1    9.3    2.4    6.5    5.8 
  Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                  
      services (2)............................  126.8   128.0   128.8   129.0    6.0    5.6    3.5    7.1    5.8    5.3 
  Household operations (1) (2)................  129.3   130.3   130.8   130.2    5.2    1.9    5.4    2.8    3.5    4.1 
  Transportation services.....................  222.9   223.2   223.1   223.8    1.3    1.8    2.7    1.6    1.6    2.2 
  Medical care services.......................  328.4   329.6   332.0   333.8    4.2    4.4    4.8    6.7    4.3    5.7 
  Other services..............................  256.7   257.1   257.6   258.1    1.6    2.4    2.2    2.2    2.0    2.2 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food..........................  186.3   186.5   187.3   188.6    4.5    0.4    3.3    5.0    2.4    4.2 
 All items less shelter.......................  178.7   178.7   179.4   180.7    5.4   -0.5    4.1    4.6    2.4    4.3 
 All items less medical care..................  181.3   181.4   182.0   183.1    4.6    0.4    3.4    4.0    2.5    3.7 
 Commodities less food........................  141.5   141.3   142.2   144.3    6.5   -3.4    4.4    8.2    1.4    6.2 
 Nondurables less food........................  167.1   165.0   165.8   168.7   12.0   -6.0   14.3    3.9    2.7    9.0 
 Nondurables less food and apparel............  192.9   190.4   193.8   200.5   17.1   -9.6    9.2   16.7    2.9   12.9 
 Nondurables..................................  177.3   176.2   176.8   178.5    8.9   -3.2    8.8    2.7    2.7    5.7 
 Services less rent of shelter (4)............  210.9   211.2   211.6   212.0    3.8    2.9    4.3    2.1    3.3    3.2 
 Services less medical care services..........  213.3   213.6   214.2   214.7    3.5    2.5    2.7    2.7    3.0    2.7 
 Energy.......................................  156.8   154.8   157.9   164.8   29.2  -12.0   15.4   22.0    6.7   18.6 
 All items less energy........................  191.3   191.7   192.1   192.5    2.4    1.7    2.3    2.5    2.0    2.4 
  All items less food and energy..............  192.4   192.8   193.3   193.7    1.7    2.1    2.1    2.7    1.9    2.4 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities............................  140.1   140.6   140.6   140.6   -0.3    1.2    1.4    1.4    0.4    1.4 
    Energy commodities........................  168.0   164.1   169.2   182.5   44.3  -20.9   20.0   39.3    6.8   29.3 
   Services less energy services..............  228.7   229.2   230.0   230.7    2.7    2.7    2.1    3.5    2.7    2.8 

   1 Not seasonally adjusted.
   2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
   3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator.  All other item stratum index series were calculated
 using a geometric means estimator.
   4 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base
   5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 6. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Selected areas, all items index 

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                All items                                  
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                               Prici-           Indexes             Percent change to    Percent change to 
                     CPI-W                       ng                                  Mar. 2005 from--      Feb. 2005 from--  
                                               sched-                                                                      
                                                 ule   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.                                           
                                                 (1)   2004   2005   2005   2005   Mar.   Jan.   Feb.   Feb.   Dec.   Jan. 
                                                                                   2004   2005   2005   2004   2004   2005 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                           
 U.S. city average............................   M    186.0  186.3  187.3  188.6    3.1    1.2    0.7    3.0    0.7    0.5 
                                                                                                                           
            Region and area size(2)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Northeast urban..............................   M    198.7  199.0  200.0  201.8    3.4    1.4    0.9    3.3    0.7    0.5 
   Size A - More than 1,500,000...............   M    199.6  200.1  201.1  202.8    3.5    1.3    0.8    3.5    0.8    0.5 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    119.4  119.6  120.1  121.2    3.1    1.3    0.9    2.9    0.6    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
 Midwest urban................................   M    178.8  179.1  180.2  181.2    3.1    1.2    0.6    2.8    0.8    0.6 
   Size A - More than 1,500,000...............   M    180.1  180.4  181.3  182.5    3.0    1.2    0.7    2.5    0.7    0.5 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    116.4  116.4  117.2  117.8    3.2    1.2    0.5    3.0    0.7    0.7 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000)................................   M    174.9  175.7  176.5  177.3    3.4    0.9    0.5    3.5    0.9    0.5 
                                                                                                                           
 South urban..................................   M    180.3  180.5  181.5  182.7    3.4    1.2    0.7    3.2    0.7    0.6 
   Size A - More than 1,500,000...............   M    182.4  182.6  184.0  185.3    3.6    1.5    0.7    3.4    0.9    0.8 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    115.6  115.7  116.3  117.0    3.2    1.1    0.6    3.2    0.6    0.5 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000)................................   M    181.5  181.9  182.7  184.1    4.1    1.2    0.8    3.8    0.7    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
 West urban...................................   M    189.4  189.5  190.5  192.0    2.6    1.3    0.8    2.6    0.6    0.5 
   Size A - More than 1,500,000...............   M    190.2  190.1  191.6  193.2    2.8    1.6    0.8    2.7    0.7    0.8 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    118.6  118.9  119.0  119.8    2.2    0.8    0.7    2.2    0.3    0.1 
                                                                                                                           
                 Size classes                                                                                              
                                                                                                                           
   A (4)......................................   M    172.4  172.6  173.7  175.0    3.2    1.4    0.7    3.0    0.8    0.6 
   B/C (3)....................................   M    116.9  117.0  117.5  118.3    3.0    1.1    0.7    2.9    0.5    0.4 
   D..........................................   M    180.6  181.0  181.7  182.9    3.5    1.0    0.7    3.4    0.6    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
            Selected local areas(5)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI...............   M    183.1  183.5  184.2  184.8    2.8    0.7    0.3    2.4    0.6    0.4 
 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA......   M    188.5  188.5  190.3  192.1    3.9    1.9    0.9    3.8    1.0    1.0 
 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island,                                                                                       
     NY-NJ-CT-PA..............................   M    201.8  202.6  203.3  205.5    3.7    1.4    1.1    3.6    0.7    0.3 
                                                                                                                           
 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT..........   1        -  210.3      -  213.1    2.7    1.3      -      -      -      - 
 Cleveland-Akron, OH..........................   1        -  174.5      -  177.2    3.6    1.5      -      -      -      - 
 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX........................   1        -  180.3      -  181.6    2.3    0.7      -      -      -      - 
 Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (6)........   1        -  120.7      -  122.3    4.0    1.3      -      -      -      - 
                                                                                                                           
 Atlanta, GA..................................   2    181.5      -  183.4      -      -      -      -    2.6    1.0      - 
 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI..................   2    180.7      -  182.6      -      -      -      -    2.5    1.1      - 
 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX...............   2    167.7      -  171.8      -      -      -      -    3.7    2.4      - 
 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL....................   2    186.6      -  188.3      -      -      -      -    4.1    0.9      - 
 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,                                                                                    
     PA-NJ-DE-MD..............................   2    197.9      -  200.0      -      -      -      -    4.6    1.1      - 
 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA...........   2    195.9      -  197.3      -      -      -      -    1.6    0.7      - 
 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA.................   2    190.3      -  192.4      -      -      -      -    2.4    1.1      - 

   1 Areas on pricing schedule 2 (see Table 10) will appear next month. 
   2 Regions defined as the four Census regions.  See technical notes.
   3 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
   4 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
   5 In addition, the following metropolitan areas are published semiannually and appear in Tables 34 and 39 of the 
 January and July issues of the CPI Detailed Report: Anchorage, AK; Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN; Denver-Boulder-Greeley,
 CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO-KS; Milwaukee-Racine, WI; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI; Phoenix-Mesa, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA;
 Portland-Salem, OR-WA; St. Louis, MO-IL; San Diego, CA; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL.
   6 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 7. Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U): U.S. city average, by
 expenditure category and commodity and service group

 (December 1999=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                  
                                                                                                  
                                                                                    Unadjusted    
                                                 Relative       Unadjusted      percent change to 
                                               importance,       indexes         Mar. 2005 from-  
                    C-CPI-U                     December                                          
                                                2001-2002                                         
                                                              Feb.      Mar.      Mar.      Feb.  
                                                              2005      2005      2004      2005  
                                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                  
             Expenditure category                                                                 
                                                                                                  
 All items....................................    100.000     111.7     112.5       2.6       0.7 
                                                                                                  
  Food and beverages..........................     15.076     112.6     112.7       2.5       0.1 
   Food.......................................     14.086     112.6     112.7       2.5       0.1 
    Food at home..............................      8.062     110.8     110.9       2.0       0.1 
    Food away from home.......................      6.023     114.8     115.1       3.2       0.3 
   Alcoholic beverages........................       .990     112.7     113.0       2.5       0.3 
                                                                                                  
  Housing.....................................     41.793     116.0     116.8       3.1       0.7 
   Shelter....................................     32.380     117.4     118.3       3.0       0.8 
   Fuels and utilities........................      4.643     128.9     129.1       6.9       0.2 
   Household furnishings and operations.......      4.771      96.6      96.6       0.1       0.0 
                                                                                                  
  Apparel.....................................      4.317      89.3      93.1      -0.2       4.3 
                                                                                                  
  Transportation..............................     17.315     110.2     111.5       4.4       1.2 
   Private transportation.....................     16.206     110.8     112.1       4.7       1.2 
   Public transportation......................      1.109     101.7     103.8      -0.2       2.1 
                                                                                                  
  Medical care................................      5.783     124.8     125.3       4.1       0.4 
   Medical care commodities...................      1.466     115.9     116.0       2.0       0.1 
   Medical care services......................      4.317     128.0     128.6       4.8       0.5 
                                                                                                  
  Recreation..................................      5.978     103.5     103.5      -0.8       0.0 
                                                                                                  
  Education and communication.................      6.004     100.2     100.1       0.1      -0.1 
   Education..................................      2.560     137.5     137.6       6.1       0.1 
   Communication..............................      3.444      77.9      77.6      -4.1      -0.4 
                                                                                                  
  Other goods and services....................      3.734     116.0     116.1       2.5       0.1 
                                                                                                  
          Commodity and service group                                                             
                                                                                                  
 Services.....................................     58.567     118.2     118.8       2.9       0.5 
 Commodities..................................     41.433     103.5     104.5       2.4       1.0 
  Durables....................................     12.521      88.4      88.2       0.2      -0.2 
 Nondurables..................................     28.912     110.7     112.3       3.2       1.4 
  All items less food and energy..............     78.985     109.5     110.1       1.9       0.5 
 Energy.......................................      6.929     136.0     140.4      11.6       3.2 

 Indexes for 2005 are initial estimates.  Indexes for 2004 are interim adjustments.
 NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.