Gasoline prices averaged $2.516 per gallon in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area in February 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that area gasoline prices were 4.5 percent higher than those from last February when they averaged $2.406 per gallon. Washington area households paid an average of 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in February 2020, 4.4 percent lower than the average of 13.4 cents in February 2020. The average price of utility (piped) gas at $1.180 per therm in February 2020 was down 7.8 percent from $1.281 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.516 per gallon, Washington area consumers paid close to the national average of $2.530 for a gallon of gasoline in February 2020. Last February, gasoline prices in Washington were also close to the national average. From 2016 to 2018, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Washington differed from the U.S. average by 3.1 percent or less in February. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 12.8 cents per kWh that Washington households paid for electricity in February 2020 was 4.4 percent below the nationwide average of 13.4 cents. Last February, the price per kWh for electricity in Washington was 7.3 percent below the national average. From 2016 to 2018, electricity prices for the Washington area remained at least 5.9 percent below those for the nation in February. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Washington area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.180 per therm in February, 12.3 percent above the national average of $1.050 per therm. Last February, the price for utility (piped) gas in Washington was 21.8 percent higher than the national average. From 2016 to 2018, the price for utility (piped) gas in the Washington area ranged from 6.2 to 21.2 percent higher than the national average in February. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for March 2020 is scheduled to be released on Friday, April 10, 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 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, February 2019-February 2020, not seasonally adjusted

Year and Month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Washington	United States	Washington	United States	Washington
2019
February	$2.412	$2.406	$0.136	$0.126	$1.051	$1.281
March	2.620	2.596	0.135	0.128	1.048	1.260
April	2.894	2.829	0.135	0.127	1.034	1.290
May	2.963	2.910	0.136	0.127	1.035	1.276
June	2.814	2.790	0.139	0.132	1.035	1.272
July	2.836	2.805	0.140	0.131	1.029	1.256
August	2.716	2.722	0.139	0.131	1.034	1.337
September	2.694	2.605	0.139	0.134	1.019	1.126
October	2.741	2.637	0.136	0.132	1.041	1.184
November	2.687	2.610	0.133	0.129	1.058	1.195
December	2.652	2.610	0.133	0.127	1.057	1.240
2020
January	2.631	2.652	0.134	0.128	1.066	1.246
February	2.530	2.516	0.134	0.128	1.050	1.180