Gasoline prices averaged $2.984 a gallon in the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area in November 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were down 33.9 cents compared to last November when they averaged $3.323 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 14.9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2014, down from 15.8 cents per kWh in November 2013. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at 92.0 cents per therm in November was up from 85.5 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $2.984 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Detroit area were close to the national average of $2.945 a gallon in November 2014. For the last five Novembers, the price for a gallon of gasoline in the Detroit area has been similar to the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 14.9 cents per kWh that Detroit households paid for electricity in November 2014 was 11.2 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 13.4 cents per kWh. Last November, electricity costs in Detroit were 21.5 percent higher than the nation. Detroit area electricity costs have exceeded the national average by 7.2 percent or more over the past five Novembers. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 92.0 cents per therm in November 2014, 11.1 percent below the national average of $1.035 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Detroit area have been below the national average by more than six percent over the previous three Novembers. (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, November 2013 - November 2014, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Detroit area	United States	Detroit area	United States	Detroit area	United States
2013
November	$3.323	$3.310	$0.158	$0.130	$0.855	$0.999
December	3.254	3.333	0.158	0.131	0.860	0.998
2014
January	3.343	3.378	0.148	0.134	0.866	1.040
February	3.346	3.422	0.148	0.134	0.868	1.078
March	3.740	3.590	0.148	0.135	0.874	1.154
April	3.781	3.717	0.148	0.131	0.848	1.137
May	3.792	3.745	0.148	0.136	0.882	1.111
June	3.967	3.750	0.153	0.143	0.890	1.088
July	3.798	3.690	0.153	0.143	0.889	1.093
August	3.562	3.540	0.153	0.143	0.882	1.060
September	3.552	3.463	0.153	0.141	0.921	1.058
October	3.240	3.241	0.152	0.136	0.915	1.033
November	2.984	2.945	0.149	0.134	0.920	1.035