Gasoline prices averaged $3.613 a gallon in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area in April 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that area gasoline prices were up 8.4 cents compared to last April. Boston area households paid an average of 29.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in April 2024, down from 34.1 cents per kWh in April 2023. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $2.153 per therm in April was up from $1.996 per therm one year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.613 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Boston area were 7.5 percent below the national average of $3.907 a gallon in April 2024. Last April, gasoline costs in Boston were 8.1 percent below the national average. Over the past five Aprils, gasoline prices in the Boston area have ranged from $2.152 to $4.229. (See chart 1.)

The 29.7 cents per kWh that Boston households paid for electricity in April 2024 was 71.7 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 17.3 cents per kWh. In April 2023, electricity costs in Boston were 34.1 cents per kWh, 106.7 percent above the national average of 16.5 cents. Over the past five years, Boston area electricity prices in April have exceeded the national average by at least 71.2 percent. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Boston area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $2.153 per therm in April 2024, 56.6 percent higher than the national average of $1.375 per therm. Last April, Boston area natural gas prices were $1.996 per therm, 41.3 percent higher than the nationwide average. Over the past five Aprils, natural gas prices in the Boston area have ranged from $1.471 to $2.153. (See chart 3.)

The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts and Rockingham and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire.

The Consumer Price Index for May 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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, 9 divisions, 2 population size classes, 8 region/size-class cross-classifications, and the 23 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, April 2023–April 2024, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Boston area	United States	Boston area	United States	Boston area
2023
April	$3.839	$3.529	$0.165	$0.341	$1.413	$1.996
May	3.794	3.602	0.165	0.328	1.385	1.540
June	3.821	3.665	0.170	0.322	1.371	1.455
July	3.842	3.700	0.169	0.291	1.395	1.424
August	4.064	3.867	0.170	0.279	1.402	1.411
September	4.107	3.885	0.171	0.279	1.377	1.369
October	3.910	3.792	0.169	0.282	1.388	1.369
November	3.623	3.617	0.168	0.286	1.442	2.200
December	3.411	3.473	0.169	0.285	1.429	2.202
2024
January	3.353	3.356	0.173	0.297	1.452	2.171
February	3.486	3.354	0.173	0.291	1.465	2.171
March	3.707	3.412	0.174	0.297	1.429	2.171
April	3.907	3.613	0.173	0.297	1.375	2.153