Gasoline prices averaged $3.589 per gallon in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area in August 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices decreased 8.4 percent from last August when they averaged $3.916 per gallon. Washington area households paid an average of 16.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in August 2024, 5.0 percent higher than the 15.9 cents in August 2023. The average price of utility (piped) gas at $1.506 per therm in August 2024 was up 4.0 percent from $1.448 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.589 per gallon, costs for gasoline in the Washington area were similar to the national average of $3.648 a gallon of gasoline in August 2024. Over the past four Augusts, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Washington ranged from $2.204 to $4.137. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 16.7 cents per kWh that Washington households paid for electricity in August 2024 was 5.6 percent below the nationwide average of 17.7 cents. Last August, the price per kWh of electricity in Washington was 6.5 percent below the national average. From 2020 to 2022, Washington area electricity prices have ranged from 13.3 cents to 15.3 cents in August. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Washington area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.506 per therm in August 2024, 7.5 percent above the national average of $1.401 per therm. Last August, the price for utility (piped) gas in Washington was $1.448, compared to the national average, $1.402 per therm. From 2020 to 2022, the price for utility (piped) gas in the Washington area ranged from 9.6 to 22.6 percent above the national average in August. (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 September 2024 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 10, 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, 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, August 2023–August 2024, 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
2023
August	$4.064	$3.916	$0.170	$0.159	$1.402	$1.448
September	4.107	3.833	0.171	0.164	1.377	1.401
October	3.910	3.670	0.169	0.167	1.388	1.435
November	3.623	3.466	0.168	0.158	1.442	1.433
December	3.411	3.314	0.169	0.157	1.429	1.378
2024
January	3.353	3.266	0.173	0.156	1.452	1.480
February	3.486	3.411	0.173	0.156	1.465	1.432
March	3.707	3.608	0.174	0.160	1.429	1.505
April	3.907	3.775	0.173	0.159	1.375	1.361
May	3.885	3.746	0.175	0.160	1.369	1.517
June	3.729	3.673	0.178	0.172	1.407	1.586
July	3.747	3.692	0.178	0.164	1.408	1.567
August	3.648	3.589	0.177	0.167	1.401	1.506