Consumer Price Index: Inflation Increased 0.5%
Consumers paid 2.4% more in March 2017 than they did a year ago for the basket of goods and services included in the Consumer Price Index [CPI], and the level of inflation increased 0.5 percentage points from the 1.9% measured in February 2017.
The Consumer Price Index report said, “Between February 2017 and March 2017, the average cost of goods and services in the CPI increased by 0.4%. The all-items index rose to 102.5 in March. This means that the basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in April 2015 now costs $102.50.
“The Transport & Foreign Travel sector was the largest contributor to the year-over-year increase in March. Increased prices of gasoline caused this sector to rise 4.2%. In addition, the Education, Recreation, Entertainment & Reading sector and the Health & Personal Care sector rose 4.0% and 3.2%, respectively.”
The full March 2017 Consumer Price Index follows below [PDF here]:
