Gasoline prices averaged $3.361 a gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in March 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were down 17.1 percent compared to last March when they averaged $4.054 per gallon. Baltimore area households paid an average of 17.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2023, up 25.5 percent from March 2022. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.827 per therm in March 2023 was up from $1.543 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.361 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Baltimore area were 8.2 percent below the national average of $3.660 a gallon in March 2023. The prior four years in March, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Baltimore have ranged from 7.9 percent to 2.8 percent below the U.S. average. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Average prices for gasoline, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson and United States, March 2019 - March 2023

Period	United States	Baltimore
March 2019	$2.620	$2.493
March 2020	$2.334	$2.252
March 2021	$2.856	$2.777
March 2022	$4.401	$4.054
March 2023	$3.660	$3.361
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 17.7 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in March 2023 was 6.6 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 16.6 cents per kWh. Last March, electricity costs in Baltimore were 6.0 percent lower than the nation. Over the prior three years in March, prices for electricity in Baltimore have been below the U.S. average by 9.4 percent or less. (See chart 2.)

  

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Chart 2. Average prices for electricity, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson and United States, March 2019 - March 2023

Period	United States	Baltimore
March 2019	$0.135	$0.129
March 2020	$0.134	$0.133
March 2021	$0.138	$0.125
March 2022	$0.150	$0.141
March 2023	$0.166	$0.177
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prices paid by Baltimore area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.827 per therm in March 2023, 22.4 percent above the national average of $1.493 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Baltimore area the past four years in March have ranged from 5.8 percent to 28.4 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

  

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Chart 3. Average prices for utility (piped) gas, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson and United States, March 2019 - March 2023

Period	United States	Baltimore
March 2019	$1.048	$1.109
March 2020	$1.034	$1.328
March 2021	$1.144	$1.413
March 2022	$1.411	$1.543
March 2023	$1.493	$1.827
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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 April 2023 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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.