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 INTERNET ADDRESS:    			    Friday, April 14, 2000
     http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm  
                                     

                     CONSUMER PRICE INDEX:  MARCH 2000
 
      The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased
 0.8 percent in March, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 171.1
 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
 Labor reported today.  For the 12-month period ended in March, the CPI-U
 increased 3.7 percent.
      
      The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
 (CPI-W) also rose 0.8 percent in March, prior to seasonal adjustment.  The
 March level of 167.8 was 4.0 percent higher than the index in March 1999.
      
 CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
      
      On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.7 percent in March,
 following an increase of 0.5 percent in February.  Rising energy costs--up
 4.9 percent in March--accounted for more than half of the monthly change
 in the overall CPI for the second consecutive month.  The index for
 petroleum-based energy increased 9.1 percent, and the index for energy
 services rose 0.5 percent.  The food index, which increased 0.4 percent in
 February, rose 0.1 percent in March.  Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U
 rose 0.4 percent in March, following increases of 0.2 percent in the first
 two months of this year.  Most major expenditure groups contributed to the
 larger March advance with increases in the cost of shelter, transportation
 (other than motor fuels), and household furnishings and operations
 accounting for about three-fourths of the acceleration.

 
 Table A.  Percent changes in CPI for Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
                                   Seasonally adjusted                 Un-
                                                         Compound   adjusted
     Expenditure        Changes from preceding month   annual rate   12-mos.
      Category               1999             2000     3-mos. ended   ended
                     Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.  Mar. `00   Mar. `00
 All Items            .4    .2   .2   .2   .2   .5   .7    5.8       3.7
  Food and beverages  .2    .2   .2   .1   .0   .4   .1    1.9       2.1
  Housing             .3    .1   .3   .1   .3   .5   .4    4.9       2.9
  Apparel             .9    .6  -.4   .0 -1.1   .2   .3   -2.7       -.2
  Transportation      .6    .3   .1   .8   .1  1.3  2.5   16.9       9.1
  Medical care        .3    .2   .3   .4   .3   .4   .5    4.8       3.9
  Recreation         -.4    .0   .2   .2   .2   .0   .4    2.4       1.1
  Education and                                                         
    communication     .0    .3   .3   .2   .5  -.5   .0     .0       1.2
  Other goods and                                                     
    services         2.0    .2  -.1   .0   .6   .8   .5    8.0       5.8
  Special Indexes                                                       
   Energy            1.8    .0   .1  1.8  1.0  4.6  4.9   50.5      24.2
   Food               .3    .2   .2   .1  -.1   .4   .1    1.7       2.0
   All Items less                                                       
     food and energy  .3    .2   .2   .1   .2   .2   .4    3.2       2.4


 See page 5 for a note on the use of hedonic models to adjust prices of
 audio and video products in the CPI for changes in quality.
 
      
      For the first three months of 2000, the CPI-U advanced at a 5.8
 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR).  This compares with an
 increase of 2.7 percent in all of 1999.  The energy index, which increased
 13.4 percent in 1999, accelerated during the first three months of 2000,
 advancing at a 50.5 percent SAAR.  Petroleum-based energy costs rose at a
 107.9 percent SAAR, and charges for energy services increased at a 6.8
 percent annual rate.  The food index, which rose 1.9 percent in all of
 1999, has increased at a 1.7 percent SAAR thus far in 2000.  Grocery store
 food prices increased at a 1.2 percent SAAR in the first three months: The
 index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs advanced at a 9.2 percent SAAR,
 while the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for dairy products
 declined at SAARs of 7.9 and 7.2 percent, respectively.

      The CPI-U excluding food and energy advanced at a 3.2 percent SAAR in
 the first 3 months of 2000, following a 1.9 percent rise for all of 1999.
 The acceleration in the first quarter largely reflects rising service
 costs, as the index for services less energy services rose at a 4.1
 percent SAAR after advancing 2.7 percent in all of 1999.  In particular,
 rising costs for shelter, for public transportation, and for medical care
 services contributed to the acceleration.  The index for commodities less
 food and energy commodities rose at a 0.3 percent SAAR in the first three
 months of 2000 after increasing 0.2 percent in all of 1999.  The rates for
 selected groups for the last five and one-quarter years are shown below.
     

  		           Percentage change 12 months     SAAR 3        
                               ended in December           mos. ended           
						           in March
                        1995   1996   1997   1998   1999   2000
 All items               2.5    3.3    1.7    1.6    2.7    5.8
  Food and beverages     2.1    4.2    1.6    2.3    2.0    1.9
  Housing                3.0    2.9    2.4    2.3    2.2    4.9
  Apparel                0.1   -0.2    1.0   -0.7    -.5   -2.7
  Transportation         1.5    4.4   -1.4   -1.7    5.4   16.9
  Medical care           3.9    3.0    2.8    3.4    3.7    4.8
  Recreation             2.8    3.0    1.5    1.2     .8    2.4
  Education and
   communication         4.0    3.4    3.0    0.7    1.6     .0
  Other goods and
   services              4.3    3.6    5.2    8.8    5.1    8.0
                                                              
 Special indexes                                                        
  Energy                -1.3    8.6   -3.4   -8.8   13.4   50.5
   Energy commodities   -3.3   13.8   -6.9  -15.1   29.5  107.9
   Energy services       0.8    3.8    0.2   -3.3    1.2    6.8
  All items less energy  2.9    2.9    2.1    2.4    2.0    2.8
   Food                  2.1    4.3    1.5    2.3    1.9    1.7
  All items less food                        
   and energy		 3.0    2.6    2.2    2.4    1.9    3.2 

     
      The food and beverages index advanced 0.1 percent in March.  The
 index for food at home rose 0.1 percent in March, following a 0.5 percent
 increase in February.  The indexes for fruits and vegetables and for dairy
 products, each of which increased in February, declined in March--down 1.7
 and 1.1 percent, respectively.  Within the fruits and vegetables group,
 the index for fresh fruits fell 2.3 percent, while the index for fresh
 vegetables declined 1.9 percent.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment, fresh
 vegetable prices increased 0. 5 percent.)  Prices for processed fruits and
 vegetables fell 0.2 percent.  The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs
 increased 0.9 percent in March, the same as in February.  The indexes for
 beef and pork rose 0.9 and 2.4 percent, respectively, in March and have
 advanced 6.4 and 7.5 percent in the last 12 months.  Poultry prices
 increased 0.4 percent in March.  Among the other major grocery store food
 groups, the index for cereal and bakery products increased 0.3 percent;
 the index for other food at home, 0.6 percent; and the index for
 nonalcoholic beverages, 0.1 percent.  The other two components of the food
 and beverages index--food away from home and alcoholic beverages--
 increased 0.2 and 0.3 percent, respectively.
      
      The index for housing, which increased 0.5 percent in February, rose
 0.4 percent in March.  Shelter costs increased 0.5 percent, following
 increases of 0.3 percent in the first two months of the year.  Within
 shelter, the indexes for rent and for owners' equivalent rent each
 increased 0.3 percent for the third month in a row.  The index for lodging
 away from home, however, rose 3.2 percent in March after declining 0.3
 percent in February.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment, the index for lodging
 away from home rose 5.0 percent in March and has increased 14.3 percent in
 the first three months of the year.)  The index for fuels and utilities,
 which advanced 2.6 percent in February, declined 0.4 percent in March.
 The index for fuel oil declined 14.2 percent in March, following a record
 34.6 percent increase in February.  The index for electricity also turned
 down in March, declining 0.2 percent after increasing 0.8 percent in the
 preceding month. The index for natural gas rose substantially for the
 third consecutive month--up 1.9 percent in March, following increases of
 1.4 and 1.7 percent in January and February, respectively.  The index for
 household furnishings and operations, which was unchanged in February,
 increased 0.5 percent in March.
      
      The transportation component rose 2.5 percent in March, following a
 1.3 percent increase in February.  More than four-fifths of the March
 transportation advance was due to the continued rise in gasoline prices.
 In March, the index for gasoline registered its largest monthly advance
 since April 1999--up 11.1 percent--bringing its increase over the last 12
 months to 52.6 percent.  As of March, the index for gasoline was 10.2
 percent higher than its previous peak level of November 1990.  The index
 for new vehicles registered its first increase since September, advancing
 0.1 percent in March.  The index for used cars and trucks was unchanged,
 following declines in each of the preceding four months.  The index for
 public transportation rose 2.7 percent, largely as a result of a 4.6
 percent rise in airline fares.
      
      The index for apparel increased 0.3 percent, following a 0.2 percent
 rise in February.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment, apparel prices rose 2.6
 percent, reflecting the further introduction of higher-priced spring
 summer wear.)
      
      Medical care costs rose 0.5 percent in March to a level 3.9 percent
 higher than a year ago.  In March, the index for medical care commodities-
 -prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--rose 0.3
 percent.  The index for medical care services rose 0.5 percent in March.
 Charges for professional services and for hospital and related services
 increased 0.4 and 0.5 percent, respectively.
      
      The index for recreation costs, which was unchanged in February,
 increased 0.4 percent in March.  Upturns in the indexes for admissions to
 movies, theaters, concerts, and sporting events, for video and audio, and
 for sporting goods; coupled with a larger increase in the index for club
 membership dues and fees for participant sports, were principally
 responsible for the March advance.
      
      The index for education and communication, which declined 0.5 percent
 in February, was unchanged in March.  Educational costs rose 0.4 percent,
 reflecting a 0.7 percent increase in the index for child care and nursery
 school.  The index for communication declined 0.4 percent, reflecting
 decreases in the indexes for telephone services and for personal computers
 and peripheral equipment--down 0.5 and 2.0 percent, respectively.
      
      The index for other goods and services advanced 0.5 percent in March
 after increasing 0.8 percent in February.    The index for cigarettes
 increased 1.1 percent in March, reflecting in part a 55 cent-a-pack tax
 increase in the state of New York.  The cigarette increase accounted for
 about 60 percent of the March rise in the other goods and services
 component.
 
 CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)
 
      On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and
 Clerical Workers rose 0.7 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               1999             2000     3-mos. ended   ended
                    Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.  Mar. '00   Mar.'00
 All Items           .5    .2   .2   .2   .2   .5   .7    5.9       4.0
  Food and beverages .2    .3   .2   .1  -.1   .4   .2    2.2       2.1
  Housing            .3    .1   .3   .1   .2   .6   .2    4.0       2.8
  Apparel            .9    .4  -.3   .1 -1.0   .1   .2   -2.7       -.1
  Transportation     .8    .1   .1   .9   .2  1.3  2.6   17.6       9.9
  Medical care       .4    .2   .3   .3   .3   .4   .5    4.8       4.0
  Recreation        -.4    .1   .0   .2   .2  -.1   .4    2.0        .7
  Education and                                                        
    communication    .0    .3   .3   .2   .6  -.5  -.1     .0       1.2
  Other goods and                                                    
    services        2.5    .2  -.2   .0   .7   .9   .6    9.3       6.9
 Special Indexes                                                       
  Energy            1.9   -.2   .2  2.1  1.0  4.5  5.5   53.2      26.1
  Food               .3    .2   .2   .1  -.1   .4   .2    2.2       2.0
  All Items less                                                       
    food and energy  .4    .2   .2   .1   .1   .2   .3    2.5       2.3


     Consumer Price Index data for April are scheduled for release on
 Tuesday, May 16, 2000, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).

 __________________________________________________________________________     


 Extending the use of hedonic models to 
 adjust prices for changes in quality
 
     As previously announced, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is extending
 the use in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of quality adjustments derived
 from hedonic models.  A hedonic model decomposes the price of a consumer
 product into implicit prices for each of its important features and
 components, thereby providing an estimate of the value of each feature and
 component.  We plan to extend this method to additional items in the CPI.
 As we do so, we will give CPI users notice at least three months before
 the first use of hedonic quality adjustment for each additional item and
 will have detailed background papers on the models to be employed
 available by the time of first use.

     As  first  announced  at  the  time of  the October  1999  CPI  release,
 hedonic  quality adjustments for 12 audio products and for  video  cameras
 were incorporated into the index effective with the January 2000 CPI.
 Audio  products are in the Audio equipment item stratum and video  cameras
 are  in  Other video equipment, which contains video equipment other  than
 televisions.  Papers describing these adjustments are on the CPI web  site
 (http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm).

     Effective  with the CPI for April 2000, BLS will extend hedonic  quality
 adjustment  to Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs) and Digital Versatile  Disc
 (DVD)  players, two other items in the Other video equipment item stratum.
 The  relative importance (share of weight), as of December 1999,  of  this
 stratum  was 0.062 percent in the CPI for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U)  and
 0.071 percent in the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-
 W).   Within  Other video equipment, VCRs are estimated  to  represent  46
 percent  of  the  weight  and  DVD players about  6  percent.   Camcorders
 represent  about  30 percent.  The remaining items in this  stratum--those
 that  will  not  be subject to hedonic quality adjustment at  this  time--
 include satellite dishes and some miscellaneous video equipment.

     The  hedonic  models that BLS analysts developed for VCRs  and  for  DVD
 players  use  observations  collected  for  the  CPI,  supplemented   with
 additional  observations collected specifically for this purpose.   Papers
 describing  this  work  are in preparation and will  be  available  before
 release of the April 2000 CPI.
 Additional work on hedonic quality adjustment for telephones, microwave
 ovens, refrigerator/freezers, and washers and dryers is underway at BLS.
 
 For more information on these changes, write to:
     Bureau of Labor Statistics
     Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes
     2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Room 3260
     Washington, DC 20212
 
 or contact Paul Liegey either by telephone (202) 691-5394 or by electronic
 mail (Liegey_P@bls.gov).

 ___________________________________________________________________________


       A Note on Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data
      
            Because price data are used for different purposes by
       different groups, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes
       seasonally adjusted as well as unadjusted changes each
       month.
       
            For analyzing general price trends in the economy,
       seasonally adjusted changes are usually preferred since they
       eliminate the effect of changes that normally occur at the
       same time and in about the same magnitude every year--such
       as price movements resulting from changing climatic
       conditions, production cycles, model changeovers, holidays,
       and sales.
       
            The unadjusted data are of primary interest to
       consumers concerned about the prices they actually pay.
       Unadjusted data also are used extensively for escalation
       purposes.  Many collective bargaining contract agreements
       and pension plans, for example, tie compensation changes to
       the Consumer Price Index unadjusted for seasonal variation.
       
            Seasonal factors used in computing the seasonally
       adjusted indexes are derived by the X-12-ARIMA Seasonal
       Adjustment Method.  The updated seasonal data at the end of
       1977 replaced data from 1967 through 1977.  Subsequent
       annual updates have replaced 5 years of seasonal data, e.g.,
       data from 1995 through 1999 were replaced at the end of
       1999.  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.
       
            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 and the motor fuels 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
       breakfast cereal index, the procedure was used to offset the
       effects of price-cutting among cereal manufacturers.  For
       the educational books and supplies index, the procedure was
       used to account for greater than normal sale prices on
       educational reference books.  For some alcoholic beverage
       series, Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment was used
       to offset the effects of increased brewer's costs along with
       increased demand for specialty beers.  For the nonalcoholic
       beverages index, the procedure was used to offset the
       effects of a large increase in coffee prices due to adverse
       weather.  For the fats and oils series, the procedure was
       used to account for lower domestic butter stocks, lower cold
       storage supplies, and anticipation of a bumper soybean crop.
       For the new trucks index, the procedure was applied to
       account for loyalty rebates offered to customers by American
       automakers.   For the water and sewerage maintenance index, 
       the procedure was used to account for a data collection anomaly.
       
            A description of Intervention Analysis Seasonal
       Adjustment, as well as a list of unusual events modeled and
       seasonal factors for these items may be obtained by writing
       the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices
       and Price Indexes, Washington, DC 20212 or by calling Claire
       McAnaw Gallagher on (202) 691-6968 or sending e-mail to
       Gallagher_C@BLS.GOV.
 

 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. 2000 from-    percent change from- 
                     CPI-U                       December                                                               
                                                   1999       Feb.      Mar.                                            
                                                              2000      2000     Mar.     Feb.   Dec. to Jan. to Feb. to
                                                                                 1999     2000     Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items ...................................    100.000     169.7     171.1      3.7      0.8     0.2     0.5     0.7 
 All items (1967=100) ........................          -     508.4     512.5        -        -       -       -       - 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages .........................     16.302     166.8     167.1      2.1      0.2     0.0     0.4     0.1 
   Food ......................................     15.315     166.3     166.5      2.0      0.1    -0.1     0.4     0.1 
    Food at home .............................      9.603     166.3     166.4      1.8      0.1    -0.2     0.5     0.1 
     Cereals and bakery products .............      1.534     186.0     186.1      1.4      0.1    -0.5     0.1     0.3 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..........      2.543     151.3     152.4      3.8      0.7     0.3     0.9     0.9 
     Dairy and related products (1)...........      1.090     160.9     159.1     -1.5     -1.1    -1.0     0.3    -1.1 
     Fruits and vegetables ...................      1.429     203.0     201.7      0.9     -0.6    -1.1     0.7    -1.7 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials ...........................      1.045     138.4     138.5      3.0      0.1     0.7     0.4     0.1 
     Other food at home ......................      1.962     154.4     155.1      1.4      0.5     0.0     0.0     0.6 
      Sugar and sweets .......................       .373     154.4     154.6      2.4      0.1     0.5    -0.1     0.2 
      Fats and oils ..........................       .288     145.6     145.9     -2.3      0.2     0.2    -1.2     0.6 
      Other foods ............................      1.301     170.5     171.6      2.1      0.6    -0.1     0.2     0.8 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......       .314     106.4     107.0      2.0      0.6    -1.3     2.0     0.6 
    Food away from home (1)...................      5.712     167.6     167.9      2.3      0.2     0.2     0.2     0.2 
     Other food away from home (1) (2)........       .176     107.9     107.9      4.1      0.0     0.6     0.4     0.0 
   Alcoholic beverages .......................       .987     173.0     173.5      3.0      0.3     0.2     0.2     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing ....................................     39.636     166.9     167.6      2.9      0.4     0.3     0.5     0.4 
   Shelter ...................................     30.235     190.7     191.8      3.0      0.6     0.3     0.3     0.5 
    Rent of primary residence (3).............      7.036     181.2     181.7      3.2      0.3     0.3     0.3     0.3 
    Lodging away from home (2) (3)............      2.359     115.1     120.9      5.6      5.0     0.6    -0.3     3.2 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3) (4).....................     20.470     196.1     196.4      2.6      0.2     0.3     0.3     0.3 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..       .370     102.4     102.6      2.4      0.2     0.2     0.0     0.2 
   Fuels and utilities .......................      4.722     132.9     131.8      4.7     -0.8     0.5     2.6    -0.4 
    Fuels ....................................      3.794     117.6     116.3      5.2     -1.1     0.6     3.1    -0.7 
     Fuel oil and other fuels ................       .273     147.2     130.1     50.9    -11.6     6.6    28.2   -10.7 
     Gas (piped) and electricity (3)..........      3.521     120.6     120.7      2.4      0.1     0.1     1.1     0.5 
    Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                
        services (2)..........................       .928     105.5     105.8      2.3      0.3     0.3     0.4     0.3 
   Household furnishings and operations ......      4.680     127.2     127.9      0.9      0.6     0.3     0.0     0.5 
    Household operations (1) (2)..............       .910     108.4     108.6      4.7      0.2     1.3     0.9     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel ....................................      4.684     129.2     132.5     -0.2      2.6    -1.1     0.2     0.3 
   Men's and boys' apparel ...................      1.335     130.0     131.5      0.1      1.2    -0.5    -0.2    -0.2 
   Women's and girls' apparel ................      1.879     120.0     125.9     -0.3      4.9    -2.2     0.2     0.7 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1).........       .272     133.1     133.9      6.6      0.6     0.2    -0.2     0.6 
   Footwear ..................................       .828     122.1     124.7     -1.3      2.1    -0.6    -0.2     1.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation .............................     17.450     149.7     153.4      9.1      2.5     0.1     1.3     2.5 
   Private transportation ....................     16.050     145.6     149.2      9.4      2.5     0.2     1.2     2.5 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........      7.652     100.3     100.4      0.8      0.1    -0.4    -0.4     0.1 
     New vehicles ............................      4.835     143.0     143.3     -0.1      0.2    -0.3    -0.1     0.1 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................      1.888     153.0     153.0      3.8      0.0    -0.7    -0.6     0.0 
    Motor fuel ...............................      3.160     118.1     131.7     52.6     11.5     1.5     6.2    11.3 
     Gasoline (all types) ....................      3.140     117.3     130.9     52.6     11.6     1.6     6.3    11.1 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........       .533     100.9     101.4      1.3      0.5    -0.1     0.1     0.8 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair (1)..      1.622     175.2     175.7      3.0      0.3     0.5     0.3     0.3 
   Public transportation (1)..................      1.400     204.2     209.8      5.5      2.7    -0.8     2.4     2.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care ...............................      5.768     257.0     258.1      3.9      0.4     0.3     0.4     0.5 
   Medical care commodities ..................      1.268     235.5     236.3      3.8      0.3     0.3     0.0     0.3 
   Medical care services .....................      4.501     262.0     263.2      4.0      0.5     0.3     0.5     0.5 
    Professional services (3).................      2.867     234.9     236.1      3.8      0.5     0.3     0.6     0.4 
    Hospital and related services (3).........      1.386     310.5     311.5      5.0      0.3     0.3     0.5     0.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................      6.008     102.5     102.9      1.1      0.4     0.2     0.0     0.4 
   Video and audio (1) (2)....................      1.691     100.8     100.9     -0.3      0.1     0.1    -0.4     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............      5.419     102.2     102.0      1.2     -0.2     0.5    -0.5     0.0 
   Education (2)..............................      2.741     110.6     110.6      4.9      0.0     0.8     0.5     0.4 
    Educational books and supplies ...........       .196     278.3     276.9      5.9     -0.5     6.0     1.6    -0.2 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare       2.544     318.0     318.3      4.9      0.1     0.4     0.4     0.5 
   Communication (1) (2)......................      2.679      94.7      94.3     -2.4     -0.4     0.1    -1.4    -0.4 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................      2.474      94.1      93.6     -2.6     -0.5     0.1    -1.5    -0.5 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............      2.274      99.4      98.9     -1.3     -0.5     0.2    -1.5    -0.5 
     Information and information processing                                                                             
         other than telephone services (1) (5)       .200      27.6      27.2    -16.0     -1.4    -0.7    -1.4    -1.4 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................       .106      45.1      44.2    -23.3     -2.0    -1.7    -2.8    -2.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services ...................      4.733     266.7     268.0      5.8      0.5     0.6     0.8     0.5 
   Tobacco and smoking products (1)...........      1.258     383.0     387.3     15.3      1.1     1.6     2.1     1.1 
   Personal care (1)..........................      3.475     163.8     164.3      2.7      0.3     0.3     0.2     0.3 
    Personal care products (1)................       .741     152.6     153.5      1.8      0.6     0.2    -0.1     0.6 
    Personal care services (1)................       .982     175.6     176.2      3.7      0.3     0.3     0.4     0.3 
    Miscellaneous personal services ..........      1.506     248.9     249.4      3.4      0.2     0.3     0.1     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities .................................     42.141     147.4     149.2      4.6      1.2     0.1     0.8     1.0 
  Food and beverages .........................     16.302     166.8     167.1      2.1      0.2     0.0     0.4     0.1 
  Commodities less food and beverages ........     25.840     135.7     138.4      6.3      2.0     0.1     1.2     1.5 
   Nondurables less food and beverages .......     14.906     143.9     148.5     11.5      3.2     0.2     2.2     2.8 
    Apparel ..................................      4.684     129.2     132.5     -0.2      2.6    -1.1     0.2     0.3 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel ..............................     10.222     157.2     162.7     17.5      3.5     0.8     3.1     3.9 
   Durables ..................................     10.934     125.3     125.6     -0.3      0.2    -0.2    -0.2     0.3 
 Services ....................................     57.859     192.2     193.1      2.9      0.5     0.3     0.3     0.5 
  Rent of shelter (4).........................     29.865     198.5     199.7      3.0      0.6     0.3     0.3     0.5 
  Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)....       .370     102.4     102.6      2.4      0.2     0.2     0.0     0.2 
  Gas (piped) and electricity (3).............      3.521     120.6     120.7      2.4      0.1     0.1     1.1     0.5 
  Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                  
      services (2)............................       .928     105.5     105.8      2.3      0.3     0.3     0.4     0.3 
  Household operations (1) (2)................       .910     108.4     108.6      4.7      0.2     1.3     0.9     0.2 
  Transportation services ....................      6.940     193.7     195.0      2.3      0.7     0.1     0.5     0.7 
  Medical care services ......................      4.501     262.0     263.2      4.0      0.5     0.3     0.5     0.5 
  Other services .............................     10.825     227.4     227.8      2.9      0.2     0.4    -0.1     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................     84.685     170.3     171.9      4.0      0.9     0.2     0.5     0.8 
 All items less shelter ......................     69.765     163.3     164.8      4.0      0.9     0.1     0.6     0.8 
 All items less medical care .................     94.232     164.9     166.3      3.6      0.8     0.2     0.5     0.7 
 Commodities less food .......................     26.827     137.2     139.9      6.2      2.0     0.1     1.1     1.5 
 Nondurables less food .......................     15.893     145.7     150.1     10.9      3.0     0.3     1.9     2.5 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........     11.209     158.0     163.0     16.0      3.2     0.7     3.0     3.5 
 Nondurables .................................     31.208     155.6     158.1      6.5      1.6     0.2     1.2     1.3 
 Services less rent of shelter (4)............     27.994     199.2     199.9      2.9      0.4     0.2     0.3     0.4 
 Services less medical care services .........     53.358     185.8     186.7      2.9      0.5     0.3     0.2     0.4 
 Energy ......................................      6.954     116.7     122.2     24.2      4.7     1.0     4.6     4.9 
 All items less energy .......................     93.046     176.8     177.7      2.3      0.5     0.1     0.2     0.3 
  All items less food and energy .............     77.731     179.4     180.4      2.4      0.6     0.2     0.2     0.4 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities ...........................     23.393     144.2     145.3      1.0      0.8    -0.2     0.0     0.3 
    Energy commodities .......................      3.433     120.6     131.7     52.4      9.2     1.9     8.0     9.1 
   Services less energy services .............     54.338     199.5     200.5      3.0      0.5     0.3     0.3     0.5 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar                                                                                
     (1982-84=$1.00) .........................          -    $ .589    $ .585        -        -       -       -       - 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar                                                                                
     (1967=$1.00) ............................          -    $ .197    $ .195        -        -       -       -       - 

   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 converted to a
 geometric means estimator in January, 1999.
   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.                                           
                                                 1999    2000    2000    2000                                           
                                                                                June   Sep.   Dec.   Mar.   Sep.   Mar. 
                                                                                1999   1999   1999   2000   1999   2000 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items ...................................  168.8   169.1   170.0   171.2    2.7    3.9    2.4    5.8    3.3    4.1 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages .........................  166.1   166.1   166.7   166.9    1.7    2.5    2.2    1.9    2.1    2.1 
   Food ......................................  165.8   165.7   166.3   166.5    1.5    2.5    2.2    1.7    2.0    1.9 
    Food at home .............................  165.6   165.2   166.0   166.1    1.7    2.2    2.2    1.2    2.0    1.7 
     Cereals and bakery products .............  186.6   185.6   185.8   186.4    2.4    0.9    2.6   -0.4    1.6    1.1 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..........  149.1   149.6   151.0   152.4    2.5    2.7    1.4    9.2    2.6    5.2 
     Dairy and related products (1)...........  162.1   160.4   160.9   159.1  -12.7    6.8    8.8   -7.2   -3.4    0.5 
     Fruits and vegetables ...................  205.1   202.9   204.3   200.9   12.2    1.4   -1.2   -7.9    6.6   -4.6 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials ...........................  136.0   136.9   137.5   137.7    1.8    0.3    4.8    5.1    1.0    5.0 
     Other food at home ......................  154.2   154.2   154.2   155.2    1.8    1.3    0.3    2.6    1.6    1.4 
      Sugar and sweets .......................  153.4   154.2   154.1   154.4    3.5    2.9    0.5    2.6    3.2    1.6 
      Fats and oils ..........................  146.1   146.4   144.7   145.6   -3.7    2.2   -6.3   -1.4   -0.8   -3.9 
      Other foods ............................  170.0   169.8   170.2   171.6    2.4    1.0    1.4    3.8    1.7    2.6 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......  105.7   104.3   106.4   107.0    0.0    1.5    1.5    5.0    0.8    3.3 
    Food away from home (1)...................  166.8   167.2   167.6   167.9    1.0    2.9    2.4    2.7    2.0    2.5 
     Other food away from home (1) (2)........  106.9   107.5   107.9   107.9    2.7    7.9    1.9    3.8    5.3    2.8 
   Alcoholic beverages .......................  172.0   172.4   172.8   173.3    3.1    3.1    2.8    3.1    3.1    2.9 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing ....................................  165.4   165.9   166.8   167.4    2.5    2.7    1.7    4.9    2.6    3.3 
   Shelter ...................................  189.1   189.7   190.2   191.1    2.8    2.6    2.1    4.3    2.7    3.2 
    Rent of primary residence (3).............  180.1   180.6   181.2   181.7    2.8    2.7    3.9    3.6    2.7    3.7 
    Lodging away from home (2) (3)............  105.9   106.5   106.2   109.6    7.1    5.4   -4.0   14.7    6.3    4.9 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3) (4).....................  195.0   195.5   196.1   196.6    2.5    2.1    2.5    3.3    2.3    2.9 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..  102.2   102.4   102.4   102.6    8.2    0.4   -0.4    1.6    4.2    0.6 
   Fuels and utilities .......................  129.8   130.5   133.9   133.3    0.6    7.4   -0.3   11.2    4.0    5.3 
    Fuels ....................................  113.6   114.3   117.9   117.1    0.4    8.5   -0.7   12.9    4.4    5.9 
     Fuel oil and other fuels ................  104.6   111.5   142.9   127.6   20.3   41.4   38.0  121.5   30.4   74.8 
     Gas (piped) and electricity (3)..........  120.2   120.3   121.6   122.2   -0.7    6.9   -2.9    6.8    3.0    1.8 
    Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                
        services (2)..........................  104.7   105.0   105.4   105.7    2.0    1.6    1.9    3.9    1.8    2.9 
   Household furnishings and operations ......  126.8   127.2   127.2   127.8    0.0    1.0   -0.3    3.2    0.5    1.4 
    Household operations (1) (2)..............  106.0   107.4   108.4   108.6    2.3    3.5    3.1   10.2    2.9    6.6 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel ....................................  131.5   130.0   130.2   130.6    2.2   -0.6    0.9   -2.7    0.8   -0.9 
   Men's and boys' apparel ...................  132.0   131.4   131.1   130.8    4.4   -4.2    4.0   -3.6    0.0    0.2 
   Women's and girls' apparel ................  123.8   121.1   121.4   122.2    2.3    2.6   -1.0   -5.1    2.5   -3.0 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1).........  133.0   133.3   133.1   133.9    3.9   10.1    9.9    2.7    7.0    6.3 
   Footwear ..................................  124.1   123.4   123.1   125.2   -3.4   -3.5   -1.9    3.6   -3.4    0.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation .............................  148.4   148.6   150.5   154.3    6.1   10.1    4.7   16.9    8.1   10.6 
   Private transportation ....................  144.6   144.9   146.6   150.3    7.8   10.7    4.0   16.7    9.3   10.2 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........  101.1   100.7   100.3   100.4    2.4    3.2    0.4   -2.7    2.8   -1.2 
     New vehicles ............................  142.9   142.4   142.3   142.5    0.0    0.6    0.0   -1.1    0.3   -0.6 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................  155.0   153.9   153.0   153.0    9.8   13.3   -1.8   -5.1   11.6   -3.4 
    Motor fuel ...............................  113.4   115.1   122.2   136.0   43.4   53.9   18.9  106.9   48.6   56.8 
     Gasoline (all types) ....................  112.7   114.5   121.7   135.2   43.1   53.7   19.0  107.1   48.3   57.0 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........  100.6   100.5   100.6   101.4    0.8    0.8    0.4    3.2    0.8    1.8 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair (1)..  173.8   174.6   175.2   175.7    2.6    2.6    2.3    4.4    2.6    3.4 
   Public transportation (1)..................  201.2   199.5   204.2   209.8  -11.9    4.4   14.0   18.2   -4.1   16.1 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care ...............................  255.0   255.7   256.7   258.0    3.6    3.9    3.5    4.8    3.7    4.2 
   Medical care commodities ..................  234.9   235.6   235.5   236.3    4.1    5.5    3.1    2.4    4.8    2.8 
   Medical care services .....................  259.2   259.9   261.2   262.6    3.4    3.5    3.6    5.4    3.4    4.5 
    Professional services (3).................  232.6   233.3   234.6   235.6    3.4    2.8    3.5    5.3    3.1    4.4 
    Hospital and related services (3).........  306.6   307.5   309.0   310.6    3.8    5.3    5.5    5.3    4.6    5.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................  102.0   102.2   102.2   102.6    2.0   -1.6    1.6    2.4    0.2    2.0 
   Video and audio (1) (2)....................  100.6   100.7   100.3   100.5   -0.8   -0.8    0.8   -0.4   -0.8    0.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............  102.3   102.8   102.3   102.3    0.0    1.6    3.2    0.0    0.8    1.6 
   Education (2)..............................  109.4   110.3   110.9   111.3    4.6    4.5    3.4    7.1    4.6    5.2 
    Educational books and supplies ...........  256.5   272.0   276.4   275.8    4.8    4.9  -14.4   33.7    4.9    6.9 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare   315.0   316.4   317.7   319.2    4.8    4.4    5.0    5.4    4.6    5.2 
   Communication (1) (2)......................   95.9    96.0    94.7    94.3   -4.5   -0.8    2.5   -6.5   -2.7   -2.1 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................   95.4    95.5    94.1    93.6   -4.9   -0.8    3.0   -7.3   -2.9   -2.3 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............  100.7   100.9    99.4    98.9   -2.0   -0.4    4.5   -7.0   -1.2   -1.4 
     Information and information processing                                                                             
         other than telephone services (1) (5)   28.2    28.0    27.6    27.2  -28.4   -6.5  -14.2  -13.4  -18.2  -13.8 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................   47.2    46.4    45.1    44.2  -19.9  -30.8  -18.7  -23.1  -25.5  -20.9 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services ...................  263.6   265.3   267.3   268.7    4.2   10.9    0.6    8.0    7.5    4.2 
   Tobacco and smoking products (1)...........  369.1   375.1   383.0   387.3    9.0   40.7   -4.9   21.2   23.8    7.4 
   Personal care (1)..........................  162.9   163.4   163.8   164.3    2.8    1.7    2.7    3.5    2.3    3.1 
    Personal care products (1)................  152.5   152.8   152.6   153.5    4.9    1.1   -1.3    2.6    2.9    0.7 
    Personal care services (1)................  174.3   174.9   175.6   176.2    2.4    2.8    5.2    4.4    2.6    4.8 
    Miscellaneous personal services ..........  247.4   248.1   248.4   248.9    2.5    4.5    4.3    2.4    3.5    3.4 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities .................................  146.5   146.6   147.8   149.3    4.0    5.4    1.9    7.9    4.7    4.9 
  Food and beverages .........................  166.1   166.1   166.7   166.9    1.7    2.5    2.2    1.9    2.1    2.1 
  Commodities less food and beverages ........  134.8   134.9   136.5   138.6    5.3    7.5    1.5   11.8    6.4    6.5 
   Nondurables less food and beverages .......  141.6   141.9   145.0   149.0    9.0   12.2    3.2   22.6   10.6   12.5 
    Apparel ..................................  131.5   130.0   130.2   130.6    2.2   -0.6    0.9   -2.7    0.8   -0.9 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel ..............................  152.4   153.6   158.3   164.5   11.9   19.0    5.1   35.7   15.4   19.5 
   Durables ..................................  125.5   125.3   125.1   125.5   -0.3    1.0   -1.9    0.0    0.3   -0.9 
 Services ....................................  191.1   191.6   192.2   193.1    1.9    2.8    2.8    4.3    2.4    3.5 
  Rent of shelter (4).........................  197.2   197.8   198.3   199.3    3.1    2.5    2.3    4.3    2.8    3.3 
  Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)....  102.2   102.4   102.4   102.6    8.2    0.4   -0.4    1.6    4.2    0.6 
  Gas (piped) and electricity (3).............  120.2   120.3   121.6   122.2   -0.7    6.9   -2.9    6.8    3.0    1.8 
  Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                  
      services (2)............................  104.7   105.0   105.4   105.7    2.0    1.6    1.9    3.9    1.8    2.9 
  Household operations (1) (2)................  106.0   107.4   108.4   108.6    2.3    3.5    3.1   10.2    2.9    6.6 
  Transportation services ....................  192.5   192.6   193.5   194.9   -2.3    2.1    4.3    5.1   -0.1    4.7 
  Medical care services ......................  259.2   259.9   261.2   262.6    3.4    3.5    3.6    5.4    3.4    4.5 
  Other services .............................  226.9   227.7   227.5   228.2    2.7    2.2    4.7    2.3    2.5    3.5 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................  169.2   169.6   170.5   171.9    3.2    4.1    2.4    6.5    3.7    4.4 
 All items less shelter ......................  162.4   162.6   163.6   164.9    2.8    4.6    2.5    6.3    3.7    4.4 
 All items less medical care .................  163.8   164.1   165.0   166.2    2.8    4.0    2.2    6.0    3.4    4.1 
 Commodities less food .......................  136.4   136.6   138.1   140.2    5.3    7.4    1.5   11.6    6.3    6.4 
 Nondurables less food .......................  143.5   143.9   146.7   150.4    8.8   11.1    3.7   20.7   10.0   11.9 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........  153.5   154.5   159.1   164.7   11.1   17.5    4.8   32.5   14.3   17.9 
 Nondurables .................................  153.9   154.2   156.1   158.1    6.1    6.5    2.1   11.4    6.3    6.6 
 Services less rent of shelter (4)............  198.4   198.8   199.4   200.1    2.3    2.9    3.3    3.5    2.6    3.4 
 Services less medical care services .........  184.9   185.5   185.8   186.5    2.4    2.4    2.9    3.5    2.4    3.2 
 Energy ......................................  112.5   113.6   118.8   124.6   16.5   26.0    7.8   50.5   21.2   27.4 
 All items less energy .......................  176.3   176.5   176.9   177.5    1.9    2.5    2.1    2.8    2.2    2.4 
  All items less food and energy .............  178.9   179.2   179.5   180.3    2.1    2.5    1.8    3.2    2.3    2.5 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities ...........................  144.6   144.3   144.3   144.7    1.7    2.5   -0.6    0.3    2.1   -0.1 
    Energy commodities .......................  112.6   114.7   123.9   135.2   41.9   52.7   20.4  107.9   47.2   58.2 
   Services less energy services .............  198.3   198.9   199.4   200.3    2.3    2.5    3.1    4.1    2.4    3.6 

   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 converted to a
 geometric means estimator in January, 1999.
   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.2000 from--      Feb.2000 from--  
                                               sched-                                                                      
                                                 ule   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.                                           
                                                 (1)   1999   2000   2000   2000   Mar.   Jan.   Feb.   Feb.   Dec.   Jan. 
                                                                                   1999   2000   2000   1999   1999   2000 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                           
 U.S. city average ...........................   M    168.3  168.7  169.7  171.1    3.7    1.4    0.8    3.2    0.8    0.6 
                                                                                                                           
            Region and area size(2)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Northeast urban .............................   M    175.5  176.1  177.4  178.3    3.7    1.2    0.5    3.4    1.1    0.7 
   Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .............   M    176.3  176.9  178.3  179.2    3.7    1.3    0.5    3.4    1.1    0.8 
   Size B/C  50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)..........   M    105.4  105.8  106.7  107.2    3.9    1.3    0.5    3.6    1.2    0.9 
                                                                                                                           
 Midwest urban ...............................   M    164.4  164.8  165.8  167.0    3.7    1.3    0.7    3.3    0.9    0.6 
   Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ............   M    165.5  166.1  167.2  168.3    3.6    1.3    0.7    3.3    1.0    0.7 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    105.3  105.5  106.0  106.8    3.7    1.2    0.8    3.3    0.7    0.5 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000) ...............................   M    158.9  159.0  159.8  161.5    3.7    1.6    1.1    2.7    0.6    0.5 
                                                                                                                           
 South urban .................................   M    163.6  164.0  164.7  166.4    3.6    1.5    1.0    2.9    0.7    0.4 
   Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .............   M    163.0  163.5  164.1  165.9    3.9    1.5    1.1    3.3    0.7    0.4 
   Size B/C -  50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........   M    105.2  105.3  105.9  106.9    3.5    1.5    0.9    2.8    0.7    0.6 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000) ...............................   M    163.5  164.4  165.1  166.8    3.3    1.5    1.0    2.6    1.0    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
 West urban ..................................   M    170.5  171.0  171.9  173.4    3.6    1.4    0.9    3.0    0.8    0.5 
   Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ............   M    171.7  172.3  173.3  174.9    4.0    1.5    0.9    3.3    0.9    0.6 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    105.7  105.7  106.2  107.1    2.9    1.3    0.8    2.3    0.5    0.5 
                                                                                                                           
                 Size classes                                                                                              
                                                                                                                           
   A (4)......................................   M    152.5  153.0  154.0  155.2    3.8    1.4    0.8    3.4    1.0    0.7 
   B/C (3)....................................   M    105.3  105.5  106.1  106.9    3.5    1.3    0.8    3.0    0.8    0.6 
   D .........................................   M    163.7  164.3  164.9  166.7    3.5    1.5    1.1    2.6    0.7    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
            Selected local areas(5)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ..............   M    169.2  170.1  171.3  172.0    3.0    1.1    0.4    2.9    1.2    0.7 
 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA .....   M    167.3  167.9  169.2  170.6    3.4    1.6    0.8    2.8    1.1    0.8 
 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island,                                                                                       
     NY-NJ-CT-PA .............................   M    178.6  179.2  180.4  181.4    3.4    1.2    0.6    3.0    1.0    0.7 
                                                                                                                           
 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT .........   1        -  180.2      -  182.7    4.5    1.4      -      -      -      - 
 Cleveland-Akron, OH .........................   1        -  164.4      -  166.8    3.5    1.5      -      -      -      - 
 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX .......................   1        -  160.4      -  163.1    4.3    1.7      -      -      -      - 
 Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (6)........   1        -  105.3      -  107.0    3.7    1.6      -      -      -      - 
                                                                                                                           
 Atlanta, GA .................................   2    167.0      -  167.4      -      -      -      -    3.4    0.2      - 
 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .................   2    165.6      -  167.2      -      -      -      -    3.7    1.0      - 
 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX ..............   2    150.3      -  152.1      -      -      -      -    3.8    1.2      - 
 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ...................   2    164.8      -  165.9      -      -      -      -    2.8    0.7      - 
 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,                                                                                    
     PA-NJ-DE-MD .............................   2    172.9      -  174.7      -      -      -      -    3.6    1.0      - 
 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ..........   2    174.5      -  176.5      -      -      -      -    4.2    1.1      - 
 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................   2    174.4      -  176.0      -      -      -      -    3.2    0.9      - 

   1 Areas on pricing schedule 2 (see Table 10) will appear next month. 
   2 Regions defined as the four Census regions.  See map in 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; 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. 2000 from-    percent change from- 
                     CPI-W                       December                                                               
                                                   1999       Feb.      Mar.                                            
                                                              2000      2000     Mar.     Feb.   Dec. to Jan. to Feb. to
                                                                                 1999     2000     Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items ...................................    100.000     166.4     167.8      4.0      0.8     0.2     0.5     0.7 
 All items (1967=100) ........................          -     495.6     499.7        -        -       -       -       - 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages .........................     17.879     166.1     166.4      2.1      0.2    -0.1     0.4     0.2 
   Food ......................................     16.832     165.6     165.9      2.0      0.2    -0.1     0.4     0.2 
    Food at home .............................     10.725     165.1     165.3      1.8      0.1    -0.2     0.5     0.2 
     Cereals and bakery products .............      1.676     185.8     185.9      1.5      0.1    -0.4     0.2     0.2 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..........      3.022     150.8     152.0      3.8      0.8     0.3     1.0     0.9 
     Dairy and related products (1)...........      1.195     160.4     158.7     -1.7     -1.1    -1.2     0.3    -1.1 
     Fruits and vegetables ...................      1.479     201.7     200.5      0.9     -0.6    -1.1     0.5    -1.2 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials ...........................      1.180     137.6     137.8      3.1      0.1     0.7     0.6     0.1 
     Other food at home ......................      2.173     153.8     154.5      1.4      0.5     0.0     0.0     0.7 
      Sugar and sweets .......................       .415     154.3     154.5      2.3      0.1     0.3     0.0     0.2 
      Fats and oils ..........................       .329     145.2     145.7     -2.1      0.3     0.3    -1.2     0.6 
      Other foods ............................      1.429     170.5     171.6      2.1      0.6    -0.2     0.3     0.9 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......       .347     106.2     106.7      1.6      0.5    -1.2     2.2     0.5 
    Food away from home (1)...................      6.107     167.6     167.9      2.3      0.2     0.2     0.3     0.2 
     Other food away from home (1) (2)........       .217     107.8     107.8      3.9      0.0     0.5     0.4     0.0 
   Alcoholic beverages .......................      1.047     172.2     172.8      3.3      0.3     0.4     0.1     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing ....................................     36.452     162.7     163.2      2.8      0.3     0.2     0.6     0.2 
   Shelter ...................................     27.425     184.8     185.6      2.8      0.4     0.3     0.3     0.3 
    Rent of primary residence (3).............      8.523     180.7     181.2      3.2      0.3     0.3     0.3     0.3 
    Lodging away from home (2) (3)............      1.364     114.5     119.9      5.0      4.7     0.3    -0.2     2.7 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3) (4).....................     17.221     178.6     178.8      2.5      0.1     0.2     0.3     0.1 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..       .318     102.6     102.8      2.2      0.2     0.2     0.0     0.2 
   Fuels and utilities .......................      4.825     132.0     131.2      4.3     -0.6     0.4     2.2    -0.3 
    Fuels ....................................      3.911     116.3     115.4      4.9     -0.8     0.4     2.7    -0.4 
     Fuel oil and other fuels ................       .240     144.5     129.6     49.3    -10.3     6.5    26.3    -9.5 
     Gas (piped) and electricity (3)..........      3.671     120.1     120.2      2.5      0.1     0.0     1.2     0.3 
    Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                
        services (2)..........................       .914     105.5     105.9      2.3      0.4     0.3     0.4     0.3 
   Household furnishings and operations ......      4.202     124.6     125.3      0.3      0.6     0.1    -0.1     0.5 
    Household operations (1) (2)..............       .401     108.6     109.2      4.9      0.6     1.2     1.0     0.6 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel ....................................      5.026     127.9     131.0     -0.1      2.4    -1.0     0.1     0.2 
   Men's and boys' apparel ...................      1.450     129.9     131.5     -0.1      1.2    -0.6    -0.3    -0.2 
   Women's and girls' apparel ................      1.875     118.0     123.5     -0.3      4.7    -2.1     0.3     0.6 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1).........       .345     134.7     135.7      7.3      0.7     0.1    -0.1     0.7 
   Footwear ..................................       .997     122.6     124.7     -1.7      1.7    -0.4    -0.2     1.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation .............................     19.716     149.1     152.9      9.9      2.5     0.2     1.3     2.6 
   Private transportation ....................     18.628     146.4     150.1     10.2      2.5     0.3     1.2     2.6 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........      9.030     100.7     100.8      1.3      0.1    -0.4    -0.4     0.2 
     New vehicles ............................      5.063     144.2     144.5      0.0      0.2    -0.2    -0.1     0.3 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................      3.170     154.4     154.4      3.8      0.0    -0.6    -0.6     0.0 
    Motor fuel ...............................      3.896     118.6     132.0     52.8     11.3     1.6     6.2    11.1 
     Gasoline (all types) ....................      3.872     117.9     131.2     52.7     11.3     1.5     6.3    11.1 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........       .661     100.5     100.9      1.1      0.4     0.0     0.1     0.7 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair (1)..      1.687     176.6     177.2      3.0      0.3     0.5     0.3     0.3 
   Public transportation (1)..................      1.088     198.8     203.4      4.8      2.3    -0.6     2.1     2.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care ...............................      4.711     256.2     257.3      4.0      0.4     0.3     0.4     0.5 
   Medical care commodities ..................       .934     231.0     231.8      3.5      0.3     0.1     0.0     0.3 
   Medical care services .....................      3.776     261.9     263.1      4.1      0.5     0.3     0.5     0.6 
    Professional services (3).................      2.425     236.7     238.0      4.0      0.5     0.5     0.5     0.5 
    Hospital and related services (3).........      1.139     306.4     307.5      5.0      0.4     0.3     0.6     0.6 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................      5.787     101.6     102.0      0.7      0.4     0.2    -0.1     0.4 
   Video and audio (1) (2)....................      1.882     100.4     100.6     -0.4      0.2     0.2    -0.4     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............      5.300     102.5     102.2      1.2     -0.3     0.6    -0.5    -0.1 
   Education (2)..............................      2.519     110.9     111.0      5.1      0.1     1.0     0.5     0.5 
    Educational books and supplies ...........       .192     281.3     280.0      6.1     -0.5     6.8     1.6    -0.1 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare       2.327     312.7     312.8      5.0      0.0     0.5     0.4     0.5 
   Communication (1) (2)......................      2.781      95.7      95.3     -2.2     -0.4     0.1    -1.4    -0.4 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................      2.631      95.3      94.8     -2.4     -0.5     0.1    -1.4    -0.5 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............      2.462      99.6      99.1     -1.3     -0.5     0.2    -1.5    -0.5 
     Information and information processing                                                                             
         other than telephone services (1) (5)       .169      28.6      28.2    -15.8     -1.4    -1.4    -1.0    -1.4 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................       .086      44.5      43.6    -23.4     -2.0    -2.6    -2.6    -2.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services ...................      5.129     271.7     273.3      6.9      0.6     0.7     0.9     0.6 
   Tobacco and smoking products (1)...........      1.836     383.6     387.8     15.4      1.1     1.6     2.1     1.1 
   Personal care (1)..........................      3.293     163.9     164.3      2.5      0.2     0.2     0.2     0.2 
    Personal care products (1)................       .835     153.2     154.1      1.6      0.6     0.2    -0.1     0.6 
    Personal care services (1)................       .984     176.1     176.6      3.8      0.3     0.3     0.5     0.3 
    Miscellaneous personal services ..........      1.266     248.9     249.4      3.3      0.2     0.1     0.1     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities .................................     46.879     147.8     149.8      5.1      1.4     0.1     0.8     1.1 
  Food and beverages .........................     17.879     166.1     166.4      2.1      0.2    -0.1     0.4     0.2 
  Commodities less food and beverages ........     29.000     136.8     139.6      7.1      2.0     0.1     1.1     1.8 
   Nondurables less food and beverages .......     16.279     145.1     150.2     12.8      3.5     0.3     2.3     3.1 
    Apparel ..................................      5.026     127.9     131.0     -0.1      2.4    -1.0     0.1     0.2 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel ..............................     11.253     159.3     165.7     19.5      4.0     0.9     3.4     4.4 
   Durables ..................................     12.721     125.6     125.8      0.1      0.2    -0.2    -0.2     0.4 
 Services ....................................     53.121     188.5     189.2      2.8      0.4     0.3     0.3     0.3 
  Rent of shelter (4).........................     27.107     178.0     178.7      2.8      0.4     0.3     0.2     0.4 
  Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)....       .318     102.6     102.8      2.2      0.2     0.2     0.0     0.2 
  Gas (piped) and electricity (3).............      3.671     120.1     120.2      2.5      0.1     0.0     1.2     0.3 
  Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                  
      services (2)............................       .914     105.5     105.9      2.3      0.4     0.3     0.4     0.3 
  Household operations (1) (2)................       .401     108.6     109.2      4.9      0.6     1.2     1.0     0.6 
  Transportation services ....................      6.751     190.8     191.8      2.1      0.5     0.2     0.4     0.6 
  Medical care services ......................      3.776     261.9     263.1      4.1      0.5     0.3     0.5     0.6 
  Other services .............................     10.181     223.7     224.0      2.8      0.1     0.4    -0.1     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................     83.168     166.4     168.0      4.3      1.0     0.2     0.5     0.9 
 All items less shelter ......................     72.575     161.3     162.8      4.3      0.9     0.1     0.6     0.9 
 All items less medical care .................     95.289     162.3     163.6      3.9      0.8     0.2     0.6     0.7 
 Commodities less food .......................     30.047     138.2     141.0      7.0      2.0     0.1     1.0     1.7 
 Nondurables less food .......................     17.326     146.8     151.7     12.3      3.3     0.3     2.1     2.9 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........     12.300     159.8     165.7     17.9      3.7     0.9     2.9     4.2 
 Nondurables .................................     34.158     156.0     158.8      7.1      1.8     0.1     1.4     1.5 
 Services less rent of shelter (4)............     26.014     176.9     177.4      2.8      0.3     0.2     0.2     0.4 
 Services less medical care services .........     49.345     182.4     183.1      2.7      0.4     0.3     0.2     0.4 
 Energy ......................................      7.807     116.7     122.9     26.1      5.3     1.0     4.5     5.5 
 All items less energy .......................     92.193     173.3     174.1      2.3      0.5     0.1     0.2     0.3 
  All items less food and energy .............     75.361     175.3     176.2      2.3      0.5     0.1     0.2     0.3 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities ...........................     25.911     144.6     145.6      1.3      0.7    -0.2     0.1     0.3 
    Energy commodities .......................      4.136     120.4     132.0     52.4      9.6     1.9     7.4     9.7 
   Services less energy services .............     49.450     196.2     196.9      2.8      0.4     0.3     0.3     0.4 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar                                                                                
     (1982-84=$1.00) .........................          -    $ .601    $ .596        -        -       -       -       - 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar                                                                                
     (1967=$1.00) ............................          -    $ .202    $ .200        -        -       -       -       - 

   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 converted to a
 geometric means estimator in January, 1999.
   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.                                           
                                                 1999    2000    2000    2000                                           
                                                                                June   Sep.   Dec.   Mar.   Sep.   Mar. 
                                                                                1999   1999   1999   2000   1999   2000 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items ...................................  165.5   165.8   166.7   167.9    3.0    4.5    2.5    5.9    3.7    4.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages .........................  165.5   165.4   166.1   166.4    1.5    2.5    2.5    2.2    2.0    2.3 
   Food ......................................  165.0   164.9   165.6   165.9    1.2    2.7    2.2    2.2    2.0    2.2 
    Food at home .............................  164.5   164.1   164.9   165.2    1.5    2.2    2.2    1.7    1.9    2.0 
     Cereals and bakery products .............  186.3   185.5   185.8   186.2    2.4    1.1    2.4   -0.2    1.8    1.1 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..........  148.7   149.1   150.6   152.0    2.5    2.7    1.1    9.2    2.6    5.1 
     Dairy and related products (1)...........  161.9   159.9   160.4   158.7  -13.6    7.1    9.1   -7.7   -3.8    0.4 
     Fruits and vegetables ...................  204.6   202.3   203.3   200.8   11.5    0.4   -0.2   -7.2    5.8   -3.8 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials ...........................  134.8   135.8   136.6   136.8    1.2    0.6    4.6    6.1    0.9    5.3 
     Other food at home ......................  153.5   153.5   153.5   154.5    1.3    1.8    0.3    2.6    1.6    1.4 
      Sugar and sweets .......................  153.5   154.0   154.0   154.3    2.1    3.7    1.0    2.1    2.9    1.6 
      Fats and oils ..........................  145.7   146.2   144.5   145.3   -2.4    1.4   -6.1   -1.1   -0.5   -3.6 
      Other foods ............................  170.0   169.6   170.1   171.6    2.2    1.2    1.7    3.8    1.7    2.7 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......  105.2   103.9   106.2   106.7   -2.3    2.7    0.4    5.8    0.2    3.1 
    Food away from home (1)...................  166.8   167.1   167.6   167.9    0.7    3.5    2.4    2.7    2.1    2.5 
     Other food away from home (1) (2)........  106.9   107.4   107.8   107.8    2.7    6.7    2.7    3.4    4.7    3.0 
   Alcoholic beverages .......................  171.1   171.8   171.9   172.5    4.1    2.9    2.9    3.3    3.5    3.1 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing ....................................  161.5   161.8   162.7   163.1    2.0    2.8    2.0    4.0    2.4    3.0 
   Shelter ...................................  183.7   184.2   184.7   185.3    2.9    2.2    2.7    3.5    2.6    3.1 
    Rent of primary residence (3).............  179.7   180.2   180.7   181.2    3.0    2.5    3.9    3.4    2.8    3.6 
    Lodging away from home (2) (3)............  105.8   106.1   105.9   108.8    6.7    6.2   -4.1   11.8    6.5    3.6 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3) (4).....................  177.6   178.0   178.6   178.8    2.3    1.8    2.7    2.7    2.1    2.7 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..  102.4   102.6   102.6   102.8    6.9    0.8   -0.4    1.6    3.8    0.6 
   Fuels and utilities .......................  129.5   130.0   132.9   132.5    0.3    7.1    0.0    9.6    3.6    4.7 
    Fuels ....................................  113.0   113.4   116.5   116.0    0.0    8.6   -0.4   11.0    4.2    5.2 
     Fuel oil and other fuels ................  104.3   111.1   140.3   127.0   19.1   39.4   35.9  119.8   28.9   72.8 
     Gas (piped) and electricity (3)..........  119.7   119.7   121.1   121.5   -1.0    6.9   -2.3    6.2    2.9    1.8 
    Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                
        services (2)..........................  104.7   105.0   105.4   105.7    2.0    1.6    1.9    3.9    1.8    2.9 
   Household furnishings and operations ......  124.6   124.7   124.6   125.2    0.0    0.0   -0.3    1.9    0.0    0.8 
    Household operations (1) (2)..............  106.2   107.5   108.6   109.2    2.7    3.5    1.9   11.8    3.1    6.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel ....................................  130.2   128.9   129.0   129.3    2.2   -0.3    0.6   -2.7    0.9   -1.1 
   Men's and boys' apparel ...................  132.2   131.4   131.0   130.7    4.4   -4.8    5.0   -4.5   -0.3    0.2 
   Women's and girls' apparel ................  121.7   119.2   119.6   120.3    2.0    3.7   -2.3   -4.5    2.8   -3.4 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1).........  134.8   134.9   134.7   135.7    4.8   11.1   10.8    2.7    7.9    6.7 
   Footwear ..................................  124.5   124.0   123.7   125.4   -3.7   -3.4   -1.9    2.9   -3.6    0.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation .............................  147.7   148.0   149.9   153.8    7.1   12.1    4.5   17.6    9.5   10.8 
   Private transportation ....................  145.1   145.5   147.3   151.2    8.1   12.6    4.0   17.9   10.3   10.7 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........  101.5   101.1   100.7   100.9    3.3    4.9    0.0   -2.3    4.1   -1.2 
     New vehicles ............................  144.0   143.7   143.5   143.9   -0.3    0.6    0.0   -0.3    0.1   -0.1 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................  156.3   155.3   154.4   154.4    9.8   13.2   -1.8   -4.8   11.5   -3.3 
    Motor fuel ...............................  113.7   115.5   122.7   136.3   41.6   57.5   18.4  106.5   49.3   56.4 
     Gasoline (all types) ....................  113.2   114.9   122.1   135.6   41.8   56.7   19.4  105.9   49.1   56.8 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........  100.0   100.0   100.1   100.8    0.4    0.4    0.4    3.2    0.4    1.8 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair (1)..  175.2   176.1   176.6   177.2    2.6    2.8    2.1    4.6    2.7    3.4 
   Public transportation (1)..................  196.0   194.8   198.8   203.4  -10.1    3.6   11.6   16.0   -3.5   13.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care ...............................  254.0   254.7   255.6   257.0    3.6    4.1    3.4    4.8    3.8    4.1 
   Medical care commodities ..................  230.6   230.9   230.8   231.6    4.2    6.0    2.3    1.7    5.1    2.0 
   Medical care services .....................  259.1   259.9   261.1   262.6    3.5    3.5    3.8    5.5    3.5    4.6 
    Professional services (3).................  234.2   235.3   236.5   237.8    3.5    2.8    3.5    6.3    3.2    4.9 
    Hospital and related services (3).........  302.4   303.2   304.9   306.6    3.8    5.5    5.2    5.7    4.6    5.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................  101.2   101.4   101.3   101.7    1.6   -2.0    1.2    2.0   -0.2    1.6 
   Video and audio (1) (2)....................  100.2   100.4   100.0   100.2   -0.4   -1.6    0.4    0.0   -1.0    0.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............  102.5   103.1   102.6   102.5    0.0    1.6    3.2    0.0    0.8    1.6 
   Education (2)..............................  109.5   110.6   111.1   111.6    5.0    4.5    3.0    7.9    4.8    5.4 
    Educational books and supplies ...........  257.4   275.0   279.3   278.9    5.0    5.1  -16.8   37.8    5.0    7.1 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare   309.2   310.8   312.0   313.5    5.2    4.3    4.8    5.7    4.7    5.2 
   Communication (1) (2)......................   97.0    97.1    95.7    95.3   -4.0   -0.8    3.4   -6.8   -2.4   -1.9 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................   96.6    96.7    95.3    94.8   -4.5   -0.8    3.4   -7.2   -2.7   -2.1 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............  100.9   101.1    99.6    99.1   -2.0   -0.8    4.9   -6.9   -1.4   -1.2 
     Information and information processing                                                                             
         other than telephone services (1) (5)   29.3    28.9    28.6    28.2  -28.5   -6.3  -12.6  -14.2  -18.2  -13.4 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................   46.9    45.7    44.5    43.6  -18.9  -30.0  -18.8  -25.3  -24.6  -22.1 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services ...................  267.6   269.6   272.0   273.6    4.9   14.0    0.0    9.3    9.4    4.5 
   Tobacco and smoking products (1)...........  369.7   375.7   383.6   387.8    9.2   41.1   -4.9   21.1   24.2    7.3 
   Personal care (1)..........................  163.1   163.5   163.9   164.3    2.5    1.5    3.0    3.0    2.0    3.0 
    Personal care products (1)................  153.1   153.4   153.2   154.1    4.6    1.0   -1.6    2.6    2.8    0.5 
    Personal care services (1)................  174.7   175.3   176.1   176.6    2.4    2.8    5.4    4.4    2.6    4.9 
    Miscellaneous personal services ..........  247.6   247.9   248.1   248.9    2.7    3.8    4.8    2.1    3.3    3.5 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities .................................  147.0   147.1   148.3   150.0    4.0    6.8    1.9    8.4    5.4    5.1 
  Food and beverages .........................  165.5   165.4   166.1   166.4    1.5    2.5    2.5    2.2    2.0    2.3 
  Commodities less food and beverages ........  135.7   135.9   137.4   139.9    6.0    9.4    1.2   13.0    7.7    6.9 
   Nondurables less food and beverages .......  142.7   143.1   146.4   151.0    9.3   14.8    3.4   25.4   12.0   13.9 
    Apparel ..................................  130.2   128.9   129.0   129.3    2.2   -0.3    0.6   -2.7    0.9   -1.1 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel ..............................  154.1   155.5   160.8   167.8   12.8   22.7    4.3   40.6   17.6   21.1 
   Durables ..................................  125.8   125.6   125.4   125.9    0.0    1.9   -1.9    0.3    1.0   -0.8 
 Services ....................................  187.5   188.0   188.6   189.2    2.0    2.6    2.8    3.7    2.3    3.2 
  Rent of shelter (4).........................  177.0   177.5   177.8   178.6    2.6    2.5    2.8    3.7    2.6    3.2 
  Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)....  102.4   102.6   102.6   102.8    6.9    0.8   -0.4    1.6    3.8    0.6 
  Gas (piped) and electricity (3).............  119.7   119.7   121.1   121.5   -1.0    6.9   -2.3    6.2    2.9    1.8 
  Water and sewer and trash collection                                                                                  
      services (2)............................  104.7   105.0   105.4   105.7    2.0    1.6    1.9    3.9    1.8    2.9 
  Household operations (1) (2)................  106.2   107.5   108.6   109.2    2.7    3.5    1.9   11.8    3.1    6.7 
  Transportation services ....................  189.5   189.8   190.6   191.7   -1.5    1.9    3.4    4.7    0.2    4.1 
  Medical care services ......................  259.1   259.9   261.1   262.6    3.5    3.5    3.8    5.5    3.5    4.6 
  Other services .............................  223.2   224.0   223.7   224.3    2.8    2.0    4.6    2.0    2.4    3.3 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................  165.3   165.6   166.5   168.0    3.3    5.0    2.5    6.7    4.1    4.6 
 All items less shelter ......................  160.4   160.6   161.6   163.1    3.1    5.4    2.3    6.9    4.3    4.6 
 All items less medical care .................  161.3   161.6   162.5   163.7    2.8    4.6    2.3    6.1    3.7    4.2 
 Commodities less food .......................  137.4   137.6   139.0   141.4    5.9    9.3    1.5   12.2    7.6    6.7 
 Nondurables less food .......................  144.4   144.9   148.0   152.3    9.1   13.9    3.1   23.7   11.5   13.0 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........  154.9   156.3   160.9   167.7   12.4   20.9    4.0   37.4   16.5   19.5 
 Nondurables .................................  154.3   154.5   156.7   159.0    5.5    7.9    2.4   12.8    6.7    7.4 
 Services less rent of shelter (4)............  176.3   176.6   176.9   177.6    2.1    3.0    3.0    3.0    2.6    3.0 
 Services less medical care services .........  181.6   182.1   182.4   183.1    2.5    2.5    2.7    3.3    2.5    3.0 
 Energy ......................................  112.8   113.9   119.0   125.5   17.5   29.4    8.6   53.2   23.3   29.0 
 All items less energy .......................  172.9   173.0   173.4   173.9    1.9    2.8    1.9    2.3    2.4    2.1 
  All items less food and energy .............  175.1   175.3   175.6   176.2    2.1    2.8    1.8    2.5    2.5    2.2 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities ...........................  145.0   144.7   144.8   145.2    2.0    3.7   -0.8    0.6    2.8   -0.1 
    Energy commodities .......................  113.2   115.3   123.8   135.8   39.9   56.7   19.4  107.1   48.1   57.2 
   Services less energy services .............  195.3   195.8   196.3   197.0    2.3    2.3    3.1    3.5    2.3    3.3 

   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 converted to a
 geometric means estimator in January, 1999.
   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.2000 from--      Feb.2000 from--  
                                               sched-                                                                      
                                                 ule   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.                                           
                                                 (1)   1999   2000   2000   2000   Mar.   Jan.   Feb.   Feb.   Dec.   Jan. 
                                                                                   1999   2000   2000   1999   1999   2000 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                           
 U.S. city average ...........................   M    165.1  165.5  166.4  167.8    4.0    1.4    0.8    3.3    0.8    0.5 
                                                                                                                           
            Region and area size(2)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Northeast urban .............................   M    172.6  173.0  174.3  175.1    3.9    1.2    0.5    3.6    1.0    0.8 
   Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .............   M    172.4  172.8  174.1  174.9    3.9    1.2    0.5    3.6    1.0    0.8 
   Size B/C  50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)..........   M    105.2  105.5  106.3  106.8    3.9    1.2    0.5    3.6    1.0    0.8 
                                                                                                                           
 Midwest urban ...............................   M    160.7  161.2  162.1  163.4    4.1    1.4    0.8    3.6    0.9    0.6 
   Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ............   M    161.1  161.6  162.7  163.8    4.0    1.4    0.7    3.5    1.0    0.7 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    105.3  105.5  106.1  106.9    4.2    1.3    0.8    3.8    0.8    0.6 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000) ...............................   M    157.3  157.6  158.3  160.0    4.3    1.5    1.1    3.2    0.6    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
 South urban .................................   M    162.0  162.2  163.0  164.6    3.9    1.5    1.0    3.2    0.6    0.5 
   Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .............   M    160.9  161.2  161.8  163.4    4.1    1.4    1.0    3.5    0.6    0.4 
   Size B/C -  50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........   M    105.0  105.1  105.7  106.7    3.8    1.5    0.9    3.0    0.7    0.6 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000) ...............................   M    164.6  165.1  165.8  167.6    3.8    1.5    1.1    3.0    0.7    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
 West urban ..................................   M    166.4  166.7  167.4  169.1    3.6    1.4    1.0    2.9    0.6    0.4 
   Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ............   M    165.8  166.3  167.1  168.7    3.9    1.4    1.0    3.2    0.8    0.5 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    105.5  105.5  105.9  106.8    2.7    1.2    0.8    2.2    0.4    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
                 Size classes                                                                                              
                                                                                                                           
   A (4)......................................   M    151.2  151.6  152.5  153.6    4.0    1.3    0.7    3.5    0.9    0.6 
   B/C (3)....................................   M    105.2  105.3  105.9  106.8    3.8    1.4    0.8    3.2    0.7    0.6 
   D .........................................   M    163.1  163.5  164.1  165.9    3.8    1.5    1.1    2.9    0.6    0.4 
                                                                                                                           
            Selected local areas(5)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ..............   M    163.7  164.5  165.6  166.4    3.3    1.2    0.5    3.1    1.2    0.7 
 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA .....   M    160.9  161.2  162.4  163.9    3.5    1.7    0.9    2.7    0.9    0.7 
 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island,                                                                                       
     NY-NJ-CT-PA .............................   M    174.3  174.6  175.8  176.6    3.4    1.1    0.5    3.0    0.9    0.7 
                                                                                                                           
 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT .........   1        -  178.6      -  181.1    5.1    1.4      -      -      -      - 
 Cleveland-Akron, OH .........................   1        -  156.8      -  159.2    4.1    1.5      -      -      -      - 
 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX .......................   1        -  160.3      -  162.9    4.6    1.6      -      -      -      - 
 Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (6)........   1        -  105.3      -  106.9    4.0    1.5      -      -      -      - 
                                                                                                                           
 Atlanta, GA .................................   2    164.6      -  164.9      -      -      -      -    3.6    0.2      - 
 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .................   2    160.4      -  162.0      -      -      -      -    4.0    1.0      - 
 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX ..............   2    149.2      -  150.5      -      -      -      -    3.8    0.9      - 
 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ...................   2    162.7      -  163.5      -      -      -      -    3.0    0.5      - 
 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,                                                                                    
     PA-NJ-DE-MD .............................   2    172.8      -  174.5      -      -      -      -    4.0    1.0      - 
 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ..........   2    170.9      -  172.5      -      -      -      -    4.1    0.9      - 
 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................   2    170.1      -  171.5      -      -      -      -    3.3    0.8      - 

   1 Areas on pricing schedule 2 (see Table 10) will appear next month. 
   2 Regions defined as the four Census regions.  See map in 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; 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.