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News Release Information

21-2156-PHI
Friday, December 10, 2021

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Average Energy Prices, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington – November 2021

Gasoline prices averaged $3.583 per gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in November 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were 49.7 percent higher than last November when they averaged $2.394 per gallon. Philadelphia-area households paid an average of 15.9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2021, 6.0 percent higher than the average of 15.0 cents in November 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.192 per therm in November was 7.9 percent higher than its price of $1.105 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.583 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Philadelphia area was close to the national average of $3.576 per gallon in November 2021. From 2017 to 2020, local and national prices for gasoline in November differed by 10.9 percent or less. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 15.9 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in November 2021 was 12.0 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 14.2 cents per kWh. Last November, electricity prices in Philadelphia were 10.3 percent higher than the nation. From 2017 to 2019, prices paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for electricity in November were higher than the U.S. average by 8.8 percent or more. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.192 per therm in November 2021, 14.9 percent lower than the national average of $1.401 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area were above the national average in November for the previous four years, differing as much as 12.4 percent higher. (See chart 3.)

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.

The Consumer Price Index for December 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 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.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, November 2020–November 2021, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
United StatesPhiladelphia areaUnited StatesPhiladelphia areaUnited StatesPhiladelphia area

2020

November

$2.159$2.394$0.136$0.150$1.104$1.105

December

2.2352.5470.1360.1531.1141.093

2021

January

2.3912.6850.1360.1541.1191.100

February

2.5592.7820.1370.1531.1241.096

March

2.8562.9890.1380.1521.1441.095

April

2.9072.9290.1390.1531.1661.082

May

3.0413.0930.1400.1521.2011.082

June

3.2453.1930.1420.1551.2191.077

July

3.3263.2590.1430.1561.2411.124

August

3.3513.3030.1440.1561.2671.123

September

3.3613.3160.1440.1561.3021.167

October

3.4773.4720.1420.1551.3831.175

November

3.5763.5830.1420.1591.4011.192

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, December 10, 2021