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News Release Information

23-317-PHI
Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Average Energy Prices, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson – January 2023

Gasoline prices averaged $3.469 a gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in January 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were up 4.9 percent compared to last January when they averaged $3.307 per gallon. Baltimore area households paid an average of 17.1 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in January 2023, up 24.8 percent from January 2022. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $2.002 per therm in January 2023 was up from $1.599 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.469 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Baltimore area were 2.4 percent below the national average of $3.555 a gallon in January 2023. The prior four years in January, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Baltimore have ranged from 7.6 percent below to 0.3 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 1.)

The 17.1 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in January 2023 was 1.8 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 16.8 cents per kWh. Last January, electricity costs in Baltimore were 6.8 percent lower than the nation. Over the prior three years in January, prices for electricity in Baltimore have been below the U.S. average by 9.6 percent or less. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Baltimore area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $2.002 per therm in January 2023, 10.1 percent above the national average of $1.819 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Baltimore area the past four years in January have ranged from 6.2 percent to 26.4 percent above the U.S. average. (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 February 2023 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, 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, January 2022–January 2023, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
United StatesBaltimore areaUnited StatesBaltimore areaUnited StatesBaltimore area

2022

January

$3.500$3.307$0.147$0.137$1.409$1.599

February

3.6753.5470.1480.1451.4131.679

March

4.4014.0540.1500.1411.4111.543

April

4.3693.9590.1510.1491.4451.640

May

4.6954.5420.1540.1511.5651.783

June

5.1494.9730.1600.1411.6991.908

July

4.7684.5240.1640.1491.6292.059

August

4.2053.9580.1670.1501.6942.099

September

3.9903.5480.1670.1491.7392.055

October

4.1303.7320.1660.1631.6681.761

November

3.9583.7410.1630.1701.6161.855

December

3.4593.2710.1650.1671.6671.989

2023

January

3.5553.4690.1680.1711.8192.002

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2023