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News Release Information

18-1867-PHI
Friday, November 16, 2018

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

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

Gasoline prices averaged $2.915 a gallon in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area in October 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that area gasoline prices were 12.2 percent higher than last October when they averaged $2.598 per gallon. Washington area households paid an average of 13.2 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in October 2018, close to the 13.1 cents per kWh paid in October 2017. The average price of utility (piped) gas at $0.918 per therm in October 2018 was down 23.9 percent from $1.206 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.915 a gallon, Washington area consumers paid close to the national average of $2.945 for a gallon of gasoline in October 2018. Last October, 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 2.5 percent or less in October. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 13.2 cents per kWh that Washington households paid for electricity in October 2018 was 2.9 percent below the nationwide average of 13.6 cents. Last October, the price per kWh for electricity in Washington was 4.4 percent below the national average. From 2014 to 2016, electricity prices for the Washington area remained at least 4.4 percent below those for the nation in October. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Washington area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $0.918 per therm in October, 10.3 percent below the national average of $1.023 per therm. From 2014 to 2017, the price for utility (piped) gas in the Washington area ranged from 7.2 to 18.2 percent higher than the national average in October. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for November 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 12, 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, October 2017-October 2018, not seasonally adjusted
Year and MonthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
United StatesWashingtonUnited StatesWashingtonUnited StatesWashington
2017

October

$2.545$2.598$0.137$0.131$1.020$1.206

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

July

2.9302.9320.1390.1311.0381.088

August

2.9192.9210.1390.1321.0551.173

September

2.9302.9070.1380.1321.0300.592

October

2.9452.9150.1360.1321.0230.918

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, November 16, 2018