Gasoline prices averaged $2.636 a gallon in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area in February 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that area gasoline prices were 10.2 percent higher than last February when they averaged $2.393 per gallon. Washington area households paid an average of 12.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in February 2018, nearly unchanged from the 12.5 cents per kWh in February 2017. The average price of utility (piped) gas at $1.241 per therm in February 2018 was up 2.1 percent from $1.216 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.636 a gallon, Washington area consumers paid close to the national average of $2.632 for a gallon of gasoline in February 2018. Last February, gasoline prices in Washington were also close to the national average. From 2014 to 2016, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Washington differed from the U.S. average by less than 3.2 percent in February. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 12.7 cents per kWh that Washington households paid for electricity in February 2018 was 5.9 percent below the nationwide average of 13.5 cents. Last February, the price per kWh for electricity in Washington was 7.4 percent below the national average. From 2014 to 2016, electricity prices for the Washington area remained at least 6.0 percent below those for the nation in February. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Washington area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.241 per therm in February, 15.2 percent above the national average of $1.077 per therm. From 2014 to 2017, the price differentials for utility (piped) gas between the Washington area and the national average ranged from 6.3 to 21.2 percent in February. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for March 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MA-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, United States and the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area, February 2017-February 2018, not seasonally adjusted

Year and Month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Washington	United States	Washington	United States	Washington
2017
February	$2.360	$2.393	$0.135	$0.125	$1.003	$1.216
March	2.386	2.390	0.134	0.124	0.989	1.248
April	2.479	2.461	0.135	0.125	1.000	1.281
May	2.448	2.446	0.137	0.125	1.036	1.382
June	2.400	2.408	0.142	0.132	1.040	1.424
July	2.344	2.345	0.143	0.135	1.031	1.416
August	2.436	2.423	0.142	0.135	1.027	1.362
September	2.688	2.728	0.142	0.133	1.018	1.218
October	2.545	2.598	0.137	0.131	1.020	1.206
November	2.608	2.591	0.136	0.126	1.028	1.199
December	2.521	2.556	0.136	0.127	1.042	1.184
2018
January	2.596	2.619	0.135	0.127	1.048	1.186
February	2.632	2.636	0.135	0.127	1.077	1.241