Gasoline prices averaged $2.018 a gallon in the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area in March 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were down 40.1 cents compared to last March when they averaged $2.419 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 15.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2016, 9.1 percent more than the 14.3 cents per kWh paid in March 2015. The average cost of utility (piped) gas, at 77.2 cents per therm in March, was down from 85.6 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.018 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Detroit area were comparable to the national average of $2.021 a gallon in March 2016. In March 2015 and March 2014, Detroit area gasoline prices were 4.9 percent lower and 4.2 percent higher than the national average, respectively. However, in March 2012 and March 2013, prices were comparable to the U.S. average. (See chart 1.)

The 15.6 cents per kWh that Detroit households paid for electricity in March 2016 was 16.4 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 13.4 cents per kWh. In the previous four years (2012-2015) in March, Detroit area electricity costs exceeded the national average, ranging from 5.1 percent to 21.3 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 77.2 cents per therm in March 2016, 12.7 percent below the national average of 88.4 cents per therm. In March 2012 Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were comparable to the national average. In the previous three years (2013-2015), Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 9.1 percent to 24.3 percent less in March. (See chart 3.)

The Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, Mich. consolidated area 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.

The Consumer Price Index for April 2016 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 17, 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 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, March 2015 – March 2016, 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
2015
March	$2.419	$2.544	$0.143	$0.136	$0.856	$0.985
April	2.464	2.545	0.143	0.137	0.793	0.947
May	2.649	2.832	0.143	0.137	0.785	0.930
June	2.892	2.889	0.147	0.143	0.789	0.942
July	2.934	2.893	0.161	0.142	0.786	0.933
August	2.834	2.745	0.160	0.142	0.787	0.932
September	2.457	2.463	0.153	0.141	0.788	0.921
October	2.532	2.357	0.159	0.136	0.775	0.909
November	2.339	2.249	0.156	0.134	0.780	0.903
December	1.966	2.125	0.157	0.133	0.772	0.892
2016
January	1.906	2.034	0.156	0.134	0.766(R)	0.898
February	1.703	1.833	0.158	0.134	0.768(R)	0.895
March	2.018	2.021	0.156	0.134	0.772	0.884
Footnotes: (R) Data revised.