Gasoline prices averaged $2.989 per gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in March 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were 23.0 percent higher than last March when they averaged $2.430 per gallon. Philadelphia-area households paid an average of 15.2 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2021, close to the average of 15.3 cents in March 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.095 per therm in March was similar to its price of $1.110 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.989 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Philadelphia area was 4.7 percent higher than the national average of $2.856 per gallon in March 2021. From 2017 to 2020, local and national prices for gasoline in March differed by 4.1 percent or less. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 15.2 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in March 2021 was 10.1 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 13.8 cents per kWh. Last March, electricity prices in Philadelphia were 14.2 percent higher than the nation. From 2017 to 2019, prices paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for electricity in March differed from the U.S. average by 7.4 percent or more. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.095 per therm in March 2021, 4.3 percent lower than the national average of $1.144 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area were above the national average in March for the previous four years, ranging from 7.4 to 17.9 percent higher. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for April 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 12, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Core Based 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, March 2020-March 2021, 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
2020
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
June	2.244	2.141	0.154	0.137	1.088	1.037
July	2.369	2.243	0.155	0.137	1.088	1.027
August	2.369	2.245	0.154	0.137	1.087	1.031
September	2.422	2.260	0.153	0.137	1.090	1.064
October	2.421	2.228	0.151	0.135	1.095	1.067
November	2.394	2.159	0.150	0.136	1.105	1.104
December	2.547	2.235	0.153	0.136	1.093	1.114
2021
January	2.685	2.391	0.154	0.136	1.100	1.119
February	2.782	2.559	0.153	0.137	1.096	1.124
March	2.989	2.856	0.152	0.138	1.095	1.144