Gasoline prices averaged $3.331 a gallon in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area in November 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were down 11.0 percent compared to last November when they averaged $3.741 per gallon. Baltimore area households paid an average of 18.2 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2023, up 7.1 percent from November 2022. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.510 per therm in November 2023 was down from $1.855 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 $3.331 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Baltimore area were 8.1 percent below the national average of $3.623 a gallon in November 2023. The prior four years in November, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Baltimore have ranged from 8.7 percent below to 3.0 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, November 2019 - November 2023

Period	United States	Baltimore
November 2019	$2.687	$2.452
November 2020	$2.159	$2.223
November 2021	$3.576	$3.422
November 2022	$3.958	$3.741
November 2023	$3.623	$3.331
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 18.2 cents per kWh that Baltimore households paid for electricity in November 2023 was 8.3 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 16.8 cents per kWh. Last November, electricity costs in Baltimore were 4.3 percent higher than the nation. Over the prior three years in November, prices for electricity in Baltimore have been below the U.S. average by 8.1 percent or less. (See chart 2.)

  

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

Period	United States	Baltimore
November 2019	$0.133	$0.123
November 2020	$0.136	$0.125
November 2021	$0.142	$0.137
November 2022	$0.163	$0.170
November 2023	$0.168	$0.182
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prices paid by Baltimore area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.510 per therm in November 2023, 4.7 percent above the national average of $1.442 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Baltimore area the past four years in November have ranged from 14.0 percent to 28.0 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, November 2019 - November 2023

Period	United States	Baltimore
November 2019	$1.058	$1.305
November 2020	$1.104	$1.413
November 2021	$1.401	$1.597
November 2022	$1.616	$1.855
November 2023	$1.442	$1.510
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 December 2023 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, January 11, 2024, 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.