Gasoline prices averaged $2.086 per gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in May 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s Regional Commissioner, noted that area gasoline prices were 29.5 percent lower than last May prices when they averaged $2.957 per gallon. Philadelphia-area households paid an average of 15.1 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2020, 3.2 percent lower than the average of 15.6 cents in May 2019. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.115 per therm in May was 8.4 percent lower than its price of $1.217 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.086 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Philadelphia area was 7.2 percent higher than the national average of $1.946 per gallon in May 2020. From 2016 to 2019, local and national prices for gasoline in May differed by 3.3 percent or less. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 15.1 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in May 2020 was 12.7 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 13.4 cents per kWh. Last May, electricity prices in Philadelphia were 14.7 percent higher than the nation. From 2016 to 2018, prices paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for electricity in May exceeded the U.S. average by 10.9 percent or more. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.115 per therm in May 2020, 7.5 percent higher than the national average of $1.037 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area were also above the national average in May for the previous four years, ranging from 2.6 percent to 17.6 percent higher. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for June 2020 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 14, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Core Based Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.

 Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, United States and the Philadelphia area, May 2019–May 2020, not seasonally adjusted

Year and Month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Philadelphia	United States	Philadelphia	United States	Philadelphia	United States
2019
May	$2.957	$2.963	$0.156	$0.136	$1.217	$1.035
June	2.824	2.814	0.156	0.139	1.198	1.035
July	2.855	2.836	0.156	0.140	1.199	1.029
August	2.746	2.716	0.155	0.139	1.199	1.034
September	2.668	2.694	0.154	0.139	1.173	1.019
October	2.637	2.741	0.152	0.136	1.184	1.041
November	2.674	2.687	0.152	0.133	1.189	1.058
December	2.620	2.652	0.153	0.133	1.120	1.057
2020
January	2.660	2.631	0.153	0.134	1.110	1.066
February	2.538	2.530	0.154	0.134	1.097	1.050
March	2.430	2.334	0.153	0.134	1.110	1.034
April	2.148	1.946	0.152	0.133	1.112	1.028
May	2.086	1.946	0.151	0.134	1.115	1.037