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News Release Information

18-26-CHI
Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Average Energy Prices, Cleveland-Akron-Lorain — December 2017

Gasoline prices averaged $2.345 a gallon in the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area in December 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were up 16.1 cents compared to December 2016 when they averaged $2.184 per gallon. Cleveland area households paid an average of 13.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in December 2017, 15.5 percent higher than the 11.6 cents per kWh paid in December 2016. Utility (piped) gas averaged 83.0 cents per therm in December, up from its average price of 61.7 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.345 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Cleveland area were 17.6 cents lower than the national average of $2.521 in December 2017. Excluding December 2014, when Cleveland area gasoline prices were comparable to the national average, Cleveland area gasoline prices in the previous four years (2013-2016) in December were lower than the national average, ranging from 10.5 cents to 17.5 cents lower. (See chart 1.)

The 13.4 cents per kWh Cleveland households paid for electricity in December 2017 was similar to the nationwide average of 13.6 cents during this same period. Excluding December 2015, when Cleveland area electricity costs were similar to the national average, Cleveland area electricity costs in the previous four years (2013-2016) in December were lower than the national average, ranging from 5.3 percent lower to 12.8 percent lower. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Cleveland area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, at 83.0 cents per therm, were 20.3 percent below the national average of $1.042 per therm in December 2017. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Cleveland area were also lower than the national average in the prior four years (2013-2016) in December, ranging from 29.0 percent lower in 2014 to 42.9 percent lower in 2015. (See chart 3.)

The Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, Ohio, Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit Counties in Ohio.

Historical average energy prices for the U.S. and select metropolitan areas are available at www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/data/averageenergyprices_selectedareas_table.htm.

Consumer Price Index Geographic Revision 2018

In January 2018, BLS  introduced a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). As part of the the new sample, average energy prices for this area were discontinued. Additional information on the geographic revision is available at: www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/geographic-revision-2018.htm.


Technical Note

Average prices are estimated from Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for selected commodity series to support the research and analytic needs of CPI data users. Average prices for electricity, utility (piped) gas, and gasoline are published monthly for the U.S. city average, the 4 regions, the 3 population size classes, 10 region/size-class cross-classifications, and the 14 largest local index areas. For electricity, average prices per kilowatt-hour (kWh) are published. For utility (piped) gas, average prices per therm are published. For gasoline, the average price per gallon is published. Average prices for commonly available grades of gasoline are published as well as the average price across all grades.

All eligible prices are converted to a price per normalized quantity. These prices are then used to estimate a price for a defined fixed quantity. The average price per kilowatt-hour represents the total bill divided by the kilowatt-hour usage. The total bill is the sum of all items applicable to all consumers appearing on an electricity bill including, but not limited to, variable rates per kWh, fixed costs, taxes, surcharges, and credits. This calculation also applies to the average price per therm for utility (piped) gas.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Cleveland-Akron-Lorain and the United States, December 2016 – December 2017, not seasonally adjusted
Year and month Gasoline per gallon Electricity per kWh Utility (piped) gas per therm
Cleveland area United States Cleveland area United States Cleveland area United States

2016

 

December

$2.184 $2.289 $0.116 $0.133 $0.617 $0.972

2017

 

January

2.284 2.409 0.120 0.134 0.667 1.000

February

2.098 2.360 0.120 0.135 0.714 1.003

March

2.224 2.386 0.126 0.134 0.662 0.989

April

2.338 2.479 0.123 0.135 0.603 1.000

May

2.269 2.448 0.127 0.137 0.864 1.036

June

2.227 2.400 0.141 0.142 0.858 1.040

July

2.145 2.344 0.139 0.143 0.854 1.031

August

2.302 2.436 0.139 0.142 0.845 1.027

September

2.485 2.688 0.135 0.142 0.834 1.018

October

2.330 2.545 0.136 0.137 0.832 1.020

November

2.591 2.608 0.133 0.136 0.829 1.028

December

2.345 2.521 0.134 0.136 0.830 1.042

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2018