Gasoline prices averaged $3.656 per gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in May 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were 22.7 percent lower than last May when they averaged $4.728 per gallon. Philadelphia-area households paid an average of 19.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2023, 10.3 percent higher than the average of 17.5 cents in May 2022. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.477 per therm in May 2023 was 8.9 percent higher than its price of $1.356 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.656 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Philadelphia area was lower than the national average of $3.794 per gallon in May 2023. From 2019 to 2022, local and national prices for gasoline in May differed by 7.2 percent or less. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Average prices for gasoline, the United States and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 2019–23 (as of May)

Period	United States	Philadelphia
May 2019	$2.963	$2.957
May 2020	$1.946	$2.086
May 2021	$3.041	$3.093
May 2022	$4.695	$4.728
May 2023	$3.794	$3.656
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 19.3 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in May 2023 was 17.0 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 16.5 cents per kWh. Last May, electricity prices in Philadelphia were 13.6 percent higher than the nation. From 2019 to 2021, prices paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for electricity in May ranged between 8.6 percent to 14.7 percent higher than the U.S. average. (See chart 2.)

  

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Chart 2. Average prices for electricity, the United States and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 2019–23 (as of May)

Period	United States	Philadelphia
May 2019	$0.136	$0.156
May 2020	$0.134	$0.151
May 2021	$0.140	$0.152
May 2022	$0.154	$0.175
May 2023	$0.165	$0.193
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The price paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.477 per therm in May 2023, 6.6 percent higher than the national average of $1.385 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area in May for the previous four years ranged from 13.4 percent lower to 17.6 percent higher compared to the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

  

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Chart 3. Average prices for utility (piped) gas, the United States and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 2019–23 (as of May)

Period	United States	Philadelphia
May 2019	$1.035	$1.217
May 2020	$1.037	$1.115
May 2021	$1.201	$1.082
May 2022	$1.565	$1.356
May 2023	$1.385	$1.477
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Core Based Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.

The Consumer Price Index for June 2023 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 12, 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.