Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

18-1199-PHI
Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Average Energy Prices, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria – June 2018

Gasoline prices averaged $2.888 a gallon in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area in June 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that area gasoline prices were 19.9 percent higher than last June when they averaged $2.408 per gallon. Washington area households paid an average of 13.0 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in June 2018, nearly unchanged from the 13.2 cents per kWh in June 2017. The average price of utility (piped) gas at $1.165 per therm in June 2018 was down 18.2 percent from $1.424 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.888 a gallon, Washington area consumers paid close to the national average of $2.970 for a gallon of gasoline in June 2018. Last June, 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 1.7 percent in June. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 13.0 cents per kWh that Washington households paid for electricity in June 2018 was 6.5 percent below the nationwide average of 13.9 cents. Last June, the price per kWh for electricity in Washington was 7.0 percent below the national average. From 2014 to 2016, electricity prices for the Washington area remained at least 2.2 percent below those for the nation in June. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Washington area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.165 per therm in June, 11.8 percent above the national average of $1.042 per therm. From 2014 to 2017, the price for utility (piped) gas in the Washington area ranged from 11.5 to 36.9 percent higher than the national average in June. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for July 2018 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 10, 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, June 2017-June 2018, not seasonally adjusted
Year and MonthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
United StatesWashingtonUnited StatesWashingtonUnited StatesWashington
2017

June

$2.400$2.408$0.142$0.132$1.040$1.424

July

2.3442.3450.1430.1351.0311.416

August

2.4362.4230.1420.1351.0271.362

September

2.6882.7280.1420.1331.0181.218

October

2.5452.5980.1370.1311.0201.206

November

2.6082.5910.1360.1261.0281.199

December

2.5212.5560.1360.1271.0421.184
2018

January

2.5962.6190.1350.1271.0481.186

February

2.6322.6360.1350.1271.0771.241

March

2.6312.6350.1350.1251.0541.139

April

2.7952.7770.1340.1261.0441.159

May

2.9632.9170.1360.1261.0501.200

June

2.9702.8880.1390.1301.0421.165

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2018