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News Release Information

14-1635-CHI
Friday, August 29, 2014

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Average Energy Prices, Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint – July 2014

Gasoline prices averaged $3.798 a gallon in the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area in July 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were above last July when they averaged $3.639 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 15.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in July 2014, about the same as the 15.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) paid a year earlier. The average cost of utility (piped) gas, at 88.9 cents per therm, was not far from the 87.7 cents per therm paid by Detroit area households last July. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.798 a gallon, gasoline prices in Detroit were about 11 cents more than the national average of $3.690 in July 2014. Consumers in the Detroit area have paid prices ranging from about 5 cents below to 13 cents above the national average for a gallon of gasoline over the past five Julys. (See chart 1.)

The 15.3 cents per kWh Detroit households paid for electricity in July 2014 was 1.0 cents, or 7.0 percent more than the nationwide average of 14.3 cents per kWh. Detroit area consumers have paid prices higher than the national average for electricity in the past five Julys. (See chart 2.)

At 88.9 cents per therm, prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 20.4 cents, or 18.7 percent below the national average of $1.093 in July 2014. A year earlier, area consumers paid 14.4 percent less than the nation for natural gas. (See chart 3.)

The Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, Mich. Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) covered in this release is comprised of Genesee, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties in Michigan.

Historical average energy prices for the U.S. and select metropolitan areas are available at www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/data/AverageEnergyPrices_SelectedAreas_Table.htm.


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 from this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200, Federal Relay Services: 800-877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint and the United States, July 2013 - July 2014, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
Detroit areaUnited StatesDetroit areaUnited StatesDetroit areaUnited States
2013      

July

$3.639$3.687$0.156$0.137$0.877$1.025

August

3.6253.6580.1560.1370.8241.003

September

3.6583.6160.1580.1370.8621.000

October

3.3713.4340.1620.1320.8380.999

November

3.3233.3100.1580.1300.8550.999

December

3.2543.3330.1580.1310.8600.998
2014      

January

3.3433.3780.1480.1340.8661.040

February

3.3463.4220.1480.1340.8681.078

March

3.7403.5900.1480.1350.8741.154

April

3.7813.7170.1480.1310.8481.137

May

3.7923.7450.1480.1360.8821.111

June

3.9673.7500.1530.1430.8901.088

July

3.7983.6900.1530.1430.8891.093

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, August 29, 2014