Gasoline prices averaged $3.750 per gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in July 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were 20.9 percent lower than last July when they averaged $4.739 per gallon. Philadelphia-area households paid an average of 20.2 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in July 2023, 9.2 percent higher than the average of 18.5 cents in July 2022. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.413 per therm in July 2023 was 9.5 percent lower than its price of $1.562 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.750 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Philadelphia area was lower than the national average of $3.842 per gallon in July 2023. From 2019 to 2022, local and national prices for gasoline in July differed by 5.6 percent or less. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

View Chart Data

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

Period	United States	Philadelphia
Jul 2019	$2.836	$2.855
Jul 2020	$2.243	$2.369
Jul 2021	$3.326	$3.259
Jul 2022	$4.768	$4.739
Jul 2023	$3.842	$3.750
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 20.2 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in July 2023 was 19.5 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 16.9 cents per kWh. Last July, electricity prices in Philadelphia were 12.8 percent higher than the nation. From 2019 to 2021, prices paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for electricity in July ranged between 9.1 percent to 13.1 percent higher than the U.S. average. (See chart 2.)

  

View Chart Data

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

Period	United States	Philadelphia
Jul 2019	$0.140	$0.156
Jul 2020	$0.137	$0.155
Jul 2021	$0.143	$0.156
Jul 2022	$0.164	$0.185
Jul 2023	$0.169	$0.202
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 $1.413 per therm in July 2023, 1.3 percent higher than the national average of $1.395 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area in July for the previous four years ranged from 9.4 percent lower to 16.5 percent higher compared to the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

  

View Chart Data

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

Period	United States	Philadelphia
Jul 2019	$1.029	$1.199
Jul 2020	$1.027	$1.088
Jul 2021	$1.241	$1.124
Jul 2022	$1.629	$1.562
Jul 2023	$1.395	$1.413
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 August 2023 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 13, 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.