The consumer price index, which is a commonly used inflation indicator, rose by two-tenths of a percent in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The index for all items excluding food and energy has risen 2.3 percent in the past year, the largest increase since September 2008.
Including food and energy costs, which can fluctuate widely from month to month, the index has risen 2.9 percent over the past 12 months. The food and energy indexes are up 4.4 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively, over the past year. Fuel oil prices have risen 12.1 percent over the past year, on an unadjusted basis.
For the Northeast region of the country, the index was up 2.9 percent year-over-year in January. That was the same increase as the rest of the country.
