Gasoline prices averaged $2.397 per gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in January 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Frank Waligorski, the Bureau’s acting regional commissioner, noted that area gasoline prices were 4.2 percent lower than their price last January when they averaged $2.501 per gallon. Baltimore-area households paid an average of 12.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in January 2021, 3.1 percent lower than its January 2020 average of 12.7 cents. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.402 per therm in January 2021 was 4.1 percent higher than its price of $1.347 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.397 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Baltimore area was close to the national average of $2.391 per gallon in January 2021. Gasoline prices in the Baltimore area were below the national average in January for the previous four years, ranging from 1.4 to 7.6 percent lower. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 12.3 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in January 2021 was 9.6 percent lower than the nationwide average cost of 13.6 cents per kWh. Last January, electricity prices in Baltimore were 5.2 percent lower than the nation. From 2017 to 2019, prices paid by Baltimore-area consumers for electricity in January differed from the U.S. average by 7.5 percent or less. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Baltimore-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.402 per therm in January 2021, 25.3 percent higher than the national average of $1.119 per therm. Local utility (piped) gas prices were 26.4 percent higher than those for the nation in January 2020. From 2017 to 2019, local prices for utility (piped) gas in January differed from the national average by 20.5 percent or less. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for February 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 10, 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, January 2020–January 2021, 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
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
April	1.915	1.946	0.133	0.133	1.344	1.028
May	1.858	1.946	0.132	0.134	1.367	1.037
June	2.073	2.141	0.128	0.137	1.360	1.037
July	2.234	2.243	0.129	0.137	1.343	1.027
August	2.255	2.245	0.123	0.137	1.372	1.031
September	2.270	2.260	0.121	0.137	1.388	1.064
October	2.266	2.228	0.125	0.135	1.357	1.067
November	2.223	2.159	0.125	0.136	1.413	1.104
December	2.315	2.235	0.125	0.136	1.474	1.114
2021
January	2.397	2.391	0.123	0.136	1.402	1.119