Gasoline prices averaged $2.480 a gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in November 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s Regional Commissioner, noted that area gasoline prices were up 0.6 percent from last November when they averaged $2.465 per gallon. Baltimore-area households paid an average of 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2018, 5.2 percent lower than the 13.5 cents paid in November 2017. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.095 per therm in November was 9.0 percent lower than its price of $1.203 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.480 a gallon, the price for gasoline in the Baltimore area was 9.3 percent lower than the national average of $2.733 a gallon in November 2018. Gasoline prices in the Baltimore area were close to the national average in November for the previous four years, ranging from 2.8 percent to 5.5 percent lower. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 12.8 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in November 2018 was lower than the nationwide average cost of 13.4 cents per kWh. Last November, electricity prices in Baltimore were close to the nation. From 2014 to 2016, prices paid by Baltimore-area consumers for electricity in November exceeded the U.S. average by 1.5 to 13.7 percent. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Baltimore-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.095 per therm in November 2018, 7.4 percent higher than the national average of $1.020 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Baltimore area ranged from 3.6 percent lower to 17.0 percent higher in November from 2014 to 2017. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for December 2018 is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 11, 2019, 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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Baltimore City and the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s in Maryland.

 Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, United States and the Baltimore area, November 2017–November 2018, not seasonally adjusted

Year and Month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Baltimore	United States	Baltimore	United States	Baltimore	United States
2017
November	$2.465	$2.608	$0.135	$0.136	$1.203	$1.028
December	2.389	2.521	0.135	0.136	1.235	1.042
2018
January	2.543	2.596	0.136	0.135	1.263	1.048
February	2.547	2.632	0.132	0.135	1.234	1.077
March	2.498	2.610	0.129	0.135	1.088	1.054
April	2.693	2.795	0.130	0.134	1.152	1.044
May	2.856	2.963	0.124	0.136	1.057	1.050
June	2.874	2.970	0.124	0.139	1.058	1.042
July	2.824	2.930	0.124	0.139	1.025	1.038
August	2.806	2.919	0.127	0.139	1.012	1.055
September	2.802	2.930	0.127	0.138	1.025	1.030
October	2.789	2.945	0.128	0.136	1.031	1.023
November	2.480	2.733	0.128	0.134	1.095	1.020