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

20-1956-PHL
Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Average Energy Prices, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington – September 2020

Gasoline prices averaged $2.422 per gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in September 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s Regional Commissioner, noted that area gasoline prices were 9.2 percent lower than last September prices when they averaged $2.668 per gallon. Philadelphia-area households paid an average of 15.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in September 2020, close to the average of 15.4 cents in September 2019. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.090 per therm in September was 7.1 percent lower than its price of $1.173 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.422 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Philadelphia area was 7.2 percent higher than the national average of $2.260 per gallon in September 2020. From 2016 to 2019, local and national prices for gasoline in September differed by 5.3 percent or less. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 15.3 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in September 2020 was 11.7 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 13.7 cents per kWh. Last September, electricity prices in Philadelphia were 10.8 percent higher than the nation. From 2016 to 2018, prices paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for electricity in September exceeded the U.S. average by 7.0 percent or more. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.090 per therm in September 2020, 2.4 percent higher than the national average of $1.064 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area were also above the national average in September for the previous four years, ranging from 1.1 to 15.1 percent higher. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for October 2020 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, November 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 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, September 2019-September 2020, not seasonally adjusted
Year and MonthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
PhiladelphiaUnited StatesPhiladelphiaUnited StatesPhiladelphiaUnited States

2019

September

$2.668$2.694$0.154$0.139$1.173$1.019

October

2.6372.7410.1520.1361.1841.041

November

2.6742.6870.1520.1331.1891.058

December

2.6202.6520.1530.1331.1201.057

2020

January

2.6602.6310.1530.1341.1101.066

February

2.5382.5300.1540.1341.0971.050

March

2.4302.3340.1530.1341.1101.034

April

2.1481.9460.1520.1331.1121.028

May

2.0861.9460.1510.1341.1151.037

June

2.2442.1410.1540.1371.0881.037

July

2.3692.2430.1550.1371.0881.027

August

2.3692.2450.1540.1371.0871.031

September

2.4222.2600.1530.1371.0901.064

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2020