Consumer inflation rose slight faster than expected in December, leaving 2007 with the fastest calendar year gain in close to two decades, the Labor Department said today. Overall prices rose 0.3 pct, a tick higher than the 0.2 pct economists polled by Thomson's IFR Markets had expected. Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.2 pct in December, in line with expectations. Overall inflation rose an unadjusted 4.1 pct in 2007, the fastest calendar year gain since 1990, though still slower than the 4.3 pct gain in the twelve months through November. Core inflation rose an unadjusted 2.4 pct in 2007, slower than the 2.6 pct gain in 2006. Core inflation rose 2.3 pct in the twelve months through November. On a seasonally adjusted basis, overall inflation has risen at a 5.6 pct annual pace in the fourth quarter, while core inflation has risen at a 2.7 pct annualized pace in the final three months of last year. Energy prices rose 0.9 pct in December after rising 5.7 pct in November. That left 2007 with a 17.4 pct unadjusted gain, the largest calendar year gain since 1990. Food prices rose 0.1 pct in December after rising 0.3 pct in November. In 2007, food prices rose an unadjusted 4.9 pct. Real average weekly earnings, which are adjusted for inflation, rose 0.1 pct in December, while average hourly earnings, which are not adjusted for inflation, rose 0.4 pct in the month.