Gasoline prices averaged $2.252 per gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in March 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s Regional Commissioner, noted that area gasoline prices were 9.7 percent lower than their price last March when they averaged $2.493 per gallon. Baltimore-area households paid an average of 13.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2020, 3.1 percent higher than its March 2019 average of 12.9 cents. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.328 per therm in March was 19.7 percent higher than its price of $1.109 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.252 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Baltimore area was 3.5 percent lower than the national average of $2.334 per gallon in March 2020. Gasoline prices in the Baltimore area were below the national average in March for the previous four years, ranging from 4.4 percent to 7.1 percent lower. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 13.3 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in March 2020 was close to the nationwide average cost of 13.4 cents per kWh. Last March, electricity prices in Baltimore were 4.4 percent lower than the nation. From 2016 to 2018, prices paid by Baltimore-area consumers for electricity in March differed from the U.S. average by 4.4 percent lower to 11.2 percent higher. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Baltimore-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.328 per therm in March 2020, 28.4 percent higher than the national average of $1.034 per therm. Local utility (piped) gas prices were 5.8 percent higher than those for the nation in March 2019. From 2016 to 2018, utility (piped) gas prices in the Baltimore area differed from the national average prices by 3.2 to 17.3 percent in March. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for April 2020 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 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, March 2019–March 2020, 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
2019
March	$2.493	$2.620	$0.129	$0.135	$1.109	$1.048
April	2.702	2.894	0.131	0.135	1.095	1.034
May	2.797	2.963	0.131	0.136	1.058	1.035
June	2.595	2.814	0.118	0.139	1.164	1.035
July	2.687	2.836	0.118	0.140	1.044	1.029
August	2.539	2.716	0.116	0.139	1.130	1.034
September	2.425	2.694	0.116	0.139	1.031	1.019
October	2.445	2.741	0.122	0.136	1.126	1.041
November	2.452	2.687	0.123	0.133	1.305	1.058
December	2.444	2.652	0.125	0.133	1.268	1.057
2020
January	2.501	2.631	0.127	0.134	1.347	1.066
February	2.343	2.530	0.132	0.134	1.383	1.050
March	2.252	2.334	0.133	0.134	1.328	1.034