Gasoline prices averaged $4.542 a gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in May 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were up 55.3 percent compared to last May when they averaged $2.925 per gallon. Baltimore area households paid an average of 15.1 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2022, up 15.3 percent from May 2021. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.783 per therm in May 2022 was up from $1.446 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $4.542 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Baltimore area were 3.3 percent below the national average of $4.695 a gallon in May 2022. The prior four years in May, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Baltimore have been below the U.S. average by 5.6 percent or less. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 15.1 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in May 2022 was 1.9 percent lower than the nationwide average cost of 15.4 cents per kWh. Last May, electricity costs in Baltimore were 6.4 percent lower than the nation. Over the prior three years in May, prices for electricity in Baltimore have been below the U.S. average by 8.8 percent or less. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Baltimore area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.783 per therm in May 2022, 13.9 percent above the national average of $1.565 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Baltimore area have been above the national average over the previous four years in May, ranging from 0.7 to 31.8 percent higher. (See chart 3.)

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.

The Consumer Price Index for June 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 13, 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, the 3 population size classes, 10 region/size-class cross-classifications, and the 14 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, May 2021–May 2022, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Baltimore area	United States	Baltimore area	United States	Baltimore area
2021
May	$3.041	$2.925	$0.140	$0.131	$1.201	$1.446
June	3.245	3.034	0.142	0.130	1.219	1.465
July	3.326	3.077	0.143	0.130	1.241	1.502
August	3.351	3.105	0.144	0.129	1.267	1.543
September	3.361	3.113	0.144	0.130	1.302	1.581
October	3.477	3.324	0.142	0.135	1.383	1.683
November	3.576	3.422	0.142	0.137	1.401	1.597
December	3.505	3.374	0.142	0.137	1.402	1.647
2022
January	3.500	3.307	0.147	0.137	1.409	1.599
February	3.675	3.547	0.148	0.145	1.413	1.679
March	4.401	4.054	0.150	0.141	1.411	1.543
April	4.369	3.959	0.151	0.149	1.445	1.640
May	4.695	4.542	0.154	0.151	1.565	1.783