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News Release Information

20-2285-PHI
Monday, December 14, 2020

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Average Energy Prices, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson – November 2020

Gasoline prices averaged $2.223 per gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in November 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Maureen McDevitt Greene, the Bureau’s acting regional commissioner, noted that area gasoline prices were 9.3 percent lower than their price last November when they averaged $2.452 per gallon. Baltimore-area households paid an average of 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2020, 1.6 percent higher than its November 2019 average of 12.3 cents. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.413 per therm in November 2020 was 8.3 percent higher than its price of $1.305 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $2.223 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Baltimore area was close to the national average of $2.159 per gallon in November 2020. Gasoline prices in the Baltimore area were below the national average in November for the previous four years, ranging from 2.8 to 9.3 percent lower. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 12.5 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in November 2020 was 8.1 percent lower than the nationwide average cost of 13.6 cents per kWh. Last November, electricity prices in Baltimore were 7.5 percent lower than the nation. From 2016 to 2018, prices paid by Baltimore-area consumers for electricity in November differed from the U.S. average by 13.7 percent or less. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Baltimore-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.413 per therm in November 2020, 28 percent higher than the national average of $1.104 per therm. Local utility (piped) gas prices were 23.3 percent higher than those for the nation in November 2019. From 2016 to 2018, local prices for utility (piped) gas in November differed from the national average by 17.0 percent or less. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for December 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 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 Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s Counties and Baltimore City in Maryland.

 Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, United States and the Baltimore area, November 2019–November 2020, not seasonally adjusted
Year and MonthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
BaltimoreUnited StatesBaltimoreUnited StatesBaltimoreUnited States

2019

      

November

$2.452$2.687$0.123$0.133$1.305$1.058

December

2.4442.6520.1250.1331.2681.057

2020

      

January

2.5012.6310.1270.1341.3471.066

February

2.3432.5300.1320.1341.3831.050

March

2.2522.3340.1330.1341.3281.034

April

1.9151.9460.1330.1331.3441.028

May

1.8581.9460.1320.1341.3671.037

June

2.0732.1410.1280.1371.3601.037

July

2.2342.2430.1290.1371.3431.027

August

2.2552.2450.1230.1371.3721.031

September

2.2702.2600.1210.1371.3881.064

October

2.2662.2280.1250.1351.3571.067
November2.2232.1590.1250.1361.4131.104

 

Last Modified Date: Monday, December 14, 2020