Gasoline prices averaged $2.136 a gallon in the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area in April 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were down 25.2 cents compared to April 2015 when they averaged $2.388 per gallon. Cleveland area households paid an average of 13.9 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in April 2016, 6.1 percent higher than the 13.1 cents per kWh paid in April 2015. Utility (piped) gas averaged 48.7 cents per therm in April, down from its average price of 65.3 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.136 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Cleveland area were 6.0 cents lower than the national average of $2.196 in April 2016. Over the previous four years (2012-2015) in April, average gasoline costs in Cleveland have been lower than the national average, ranging from 2.0 cents to 23.8 cents less. (See chart 1.)

The 13.9 cents per kWh Cleveland households paid for electricity in April 2016 was comparable to the nationwide average of 13.4 cents during this same period. In April 2012 and 2014, costs for electricity in the local area were also comparable to the national average. However, in April 2013 and 2015, electricity costs in the Cleveland area were lower than the national average, by 6.3 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Cleveland area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, at 48.7 cents per therm, were 44.6 percent below the national average of 87.9 cents per therm in April 2016. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Cleveland area had been lower than the national average in the prior four years (2012-2015) in April, ranging from 25.0 percent lower in 2013 to 31.0 percent in 2015. (See chart 3.)

The Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, Ohio, Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit Counties in Ohio.

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.

The Consumer Price Index for May 2016 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, June 16, 2016.

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 sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Cleveland-Akron-Lorain and the United States, April 2015 – April 2016, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Cleveland area	United States	Cleveland area	United States	Cleveland area	United States
2015
April	$2.388	$2.545	$0.131	$0.137	$0.653	$0.947
May	2.610	2.832	0.131	0.137	0.597	0.930
June	2.821	2.889	0.151	0.143	0.596	0.942
July	2.695	2.893	0.146	0.142	0.620	0.933
August	2.566	2.745	0.146	0.142	0.601	0.932
September	2.345	2.463	0.130	0.141	0.587	0.921
October	2.432	2.357	0.133	0.136	0.566	0.909
November	2.252	2.249	0.131	0.134	0.550	0.903
December	1.950	2.125	0.134	0.133	0.509	0.892
2016
January	1.909	2.034	0.138	0.134	0.529	0.898
February	1.666	1.833	0.138	0.134	0.539	0.895
March	1.980	2.021	0.139	0.134	0.519	0.884
April	2.136	2.196	0.139	0.134	0.487	0.879