The consumer price index, which measures a basket of goods and services, stood at 7.9% in the 12-month period ending February, not seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday. This was in line with economists’ forecasts.
Prices for gas, food and housing, which are necessary rather than discretionary spending, led to the February price increase.
February seasonally adjusted prices rose 0.8% more than in January. Gasoline prices alone increased by 6.6% and accounted for almost a third of the overall inflation increase.
Food prices rose 1% last month, the biggest monthly increase since April 2020.
According to data compiled for AAA by the Oil Price Information Service, about a third of the 24 cents a gallon rose in price in the last five days of the month following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But prices have risen since then, with the price of a gallon of regular gasoline up 71 cents, or about 20%, from late February alone to $4.36 a gallon on Thursday.
The White House is bracing for high inflation, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday amid rising energy prices that have risen sharply since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began. She added that price increases in sectors linked to the pandemic, such as travel and restaurants, are also expected as the US recovers from the Omicron coronavirus wave.
This is an evolving story. It will be updated
Betsy Klein and Chris Isidore of CNN contributed to this report.