Washington—The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for dairy and related products was 230.45 in February (1982-84=100), down 0.5 percent from January but 2.7 percent higher than in February 2020, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Wednesday.

That marked the third straight month in which the dairy CPI was above 230. The dairy CPI had averaged 229.9 during the second half of 2020.

February’s CPI for all items was 263.0, up 0.5 percent from January and 1.7 percent higher than in February 2020. The CPI for food at home in February was 252.7, up 0.2 percent from January and 3.5 percent higher than in February 2020.

The CPI for cheese and related products was 243.24, down 0.5 percent from January but up 2.8 percent from February 2020. The cheese CPI has now been above 240 for seven consecutive months.

The average retail price for a pound of natural Cheddar cheese in February was $5.60, down almost six cents from January but up almost 22 cents from February 2020. The average retail Cheddar price has now been above $5.50 per pound for 10 straight months.

Average retail Cheddar prices in February, with comparisons to a month and a year earlier, were:

Northeast: $6.23 per pound, down more than 19 cents from January and down more than 26 cents from February 2020.

Midwest: $5.21 per pound, down more than three cents from January but up more than 18 cents from February 2020.

South: $5.95 per pound, down more than three from January, but up almost 60 cents from 2020.

West: $5.32 per pound, down almost two cents from January but up almost 25 cents from 2020.

The average retail price for a pound of American processed cheese in February was $4.16, down more than three cents from January but 25 cents higher than in February 2020.

CPIs For Milk Decline

February’s CPI for whole milk was 214.8, down 2 percent from January but 3 percent higher than in February 2020.

In February, the CPI for “milk” was 149.2 (December 1997=100), down 1.5 percent from January but up 2 percent from February 2020. The CPI for milk other than whole was 154.0, down 0.7 percent from January but 2.2 percent higher than in February 2020.

The average retail price for a gallon of whole milk in February was $3.37, down 10 cents from January but up more than 17 cents from February 2020. That was the lowest average retail whole milk price since last July, when it was $3.26 per gallon.

Average retail whole milk prices in the reporting regions in February with comparisons to a month and a year earlier, were as follows:

Northeast: $3.93 per gallon, down almost 11 from January but up almost 32 cents from 2020.

South: $3.29 per gallon, down more than 14 cents from January but up more than three cents from February 2020.

West: $3.44 per gallon, down almost 11 cents from January but one cent higher than in 2020.

Butter CPI Increases

The CPI for butter was 248.7, 1 percent higher than in January and fractionally higher than in 2020.

Since the beginning of 2020, the butter CPI has ranged from a low of 237.1 in November to a high of 254.7 in March.

The CPI for ice cream and related products was 232.6, down 0.8 from January but 2.7 percent higher than in February 2020.

The average retail price for a half-gallon of regular ice cream in February was $4.94, down almost eight cents from January but up more than five cents from February 2020.

The CPI for other dairy and related products was 153.8 (December 1997=100), up 0.8 percent from January and 3.2 percent higher than in February 2020.