Gasoline prices averaged $3.325 a gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in September 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were down 59.0 cents compared to last September when they averaged $3.915 per gallon. Philadelphia area households paid an average of 20.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in September 2024, up from 19.6 cents per kWh in September 2023. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.377 per therm in September was down from $1.408 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.325 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Philadelphia area were 4.4 percent below the national average of $3.478 a gallon in September 2024. Last year, prices for gasoline in the Philadelphia area were 4.7 percent below the nation. Over the past five Septembers, gasoline prices in the Philadelphia area have ranged from $3.915 to $2.422. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 20.6 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in September 2024 was 15.7 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 17.8 cents per kWh. Over the past five Septembers, electricity prices in Philadelphia have been at least 8.3 percent above the national average. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Philadelphia area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.377 per therm in September 2024, similar to the national average of $1.399 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area have ranged from $1.556 to $1.090 in the previous five Septembers. (See chart 3.)

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 October 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 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, 9 divisions, 2 population size classes, 8 region/size-class cross-classifications, and the 23 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 sensory impaired individuals 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, September 2023–September 2024, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Philadelphia area	United States	Philadelphia area	United States	Philadelphia area
2023
September	$4.107	$3.915	$0.171	$0.196	$1.377	$1.408
October	3.910	3.727	0.169	0.194	1.388	1.382
November	3.623	3.575	0.168	0.194	1.442	1.357
December	3.411	3.450	0.169	0.190	1.429	1.326
2024
January	3.353	3.362	0.173	0.200	1.452	1.338
February	3.486	3.426	0.173	0.201	1.465	1.340
March	3.707	3.468	0.174	0.206	1.429	1.363
April	3.907	3.681	0.173	0.205	1.375	1.364
May	3.885	3.744	0.175	0.206	1.369	1.373
June	3.729	3.601	0.178	0.213	1.407	1.384
July	3.747	3.650	0.178	0.207	1.408	1.388
August	3.648	3.499	0.177	0.207	1.401	1.388
September	3.478	3.325	0.178	0.206	1.399	1.377