Gasoline prices averaged $3.691 a gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in September 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were up 4.0 percent compared to last September when they averaged $3.548 per gallon. Baltimore area households paid an average of 17.0 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in September 2023, up 14.1 percent from September 2022. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.444 per therm in September 2023 was down from $2.055 per therm a year earlier. (See table 1.)(Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.691 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Baltimore area were 10.1 percent below the national average of $4.107 a gallon in September 2023. The prior four years in September, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Baltimore have ranged from 11.1 percent below to 0.4 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 1.)

  

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

Period	United States	Baltimore
September 2019	$2.694	$2.425
September 2020	$2.260	$2.270
September 2021	$3.361	$3.113
September 2022	$3.990	$3.548
September 2023	$4.107	$3.691
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 17.0 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in September 2023 was 0.6 percent lower than the nationwide average cost of 17.1 cents per kWh. Last September, electricity costs in Baltimore were 10.8 percent lower than the nation. Over the prior three years in September, prices for electricity in Baltimore have been below the U.S. average by 16.5 percent or less. (See chart 2.)

  

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

Period	United States	Baltimore
September 2019	$0.139	$0.116
September 2020	$0.137	$0.121
September 2021	$0.144	$0.130
September 2022	$0.167	$0.149
September 2023	$0.171	$0.170
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prices paid by Baltimore area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.444 per therm in September 2023, 4.9 percent above the national average of $1.377 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Baltimore area the past four years in September have ranged from 1.2 percent to 30.5 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, September 2019 - September 2023

Period	United States	Baltimore
September 2019	$1.019	$1.031
September 2020	$1.064	$1.388
September 2021	$1.302	$1.581
September 2022	$1.739	$2.055
September 2023	$1.377	$1.444
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 October 2023 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 14, 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.