Gasoline prices averaged $3.314 per gallon in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area in December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices decreased 2.2 percent from last December when they averaged $3.389 per gallon. The average price of utility (piped) gas at $1.378 per therm in December 2023 was down 20.3 percent from $1.730 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

Washington area consumers paid $3.314 per gallon, compared to the national average of $3.411 for a gallon of gasoline in December 2023. From 2019 to 2022, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Washington were similar to those for the nation in December. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The nationwide average price per kWh for electricity in December 2023 was 16.9 cents. Over the past four Decembers, electricity prices for the Washington area ranged from 7.0 to 4.5 percent below those for the nation in December. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Washington area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.378 per therm in December 2023, compared to the nationwide average of $1.429 per therm. For the past three years, the price for utility (piped) gas in Washington was similar to the national average in December. In December 2019, the cost for natural gas in the Washington area was 17.3 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MA-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

The Consumer Price Index for January 2023 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, February 13, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

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.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, December 2022–December 2023, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	DC area	United States	DC area	United States	DC area
2022
December	$3.459	$3.389	$0.165	$0.154	$1.667	$1.730
2023
January	3.555	3.492	0.168	–	1.819	1.834
February	3.622	3.477	0.168	–	1.609	1.831
March	3.660	3.455	0.166	–	1.493	1.393
April	3.839	3.677	0.165	–	1.413	1.505
May	3.794	3.598	0.165	–	1.385	1.579
June	3.821	3.605	0.170	–	1.371	1.544
July	3.842	3.692	0.169	–	1.395	1.635
August	4.064	3.916	0.170	–	1.402	1.448
September	4.107	3.833	0.171	–	1.377	1.401
October	3.910	3.670	0.169	–	1.388	1.435
November	3.623	3.466	0.168	–	1.442	1.433
December	3.411	3.314	0.169	–	1.429	1.378
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.