Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

17-580-CHI
Thursday, June 29, 2017

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

Average Energy Prices, Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint — May 2017

Gasoline prices averaged $2.492 a gallon in the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area in May 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were up 10.5 cents compared to last May when they averaged $2.387 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 16.1 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2017, up 3.2 percent from May 2016. In May, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was 78.7 cents per therm, up from its average price of 72.5 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.492 a gallon in May 2017, costs for gasoline in the Detroit area were 4.4 cents higher than the national average of $2.448 a gallon. With the exception of May 2015, when Detroit area gasoline process were 18.3 cents lower than the national average, local area gasoline costs have exceeded the national average in the previous four years (2013-2016) in May, ranging from 4.7 cents to 14.5 cents more. (See chart 1.)

The 16.1 cents per kWh that Detroit households paid for electricity in May 2017 was 17.5 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 13.7 cents per kWh. In the previous four years (2013-2016) in May, Detroit area electricity costs exceeded the national average, ranging from 4.4 percent to 23.7 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 78.7 cents per therm in May 2017, 24.0 percent below the national average of $1.036 per therm. In the previous four years (2013-2016) in May, Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 15.5 percent to 20.6 percent less. (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 June 2017 is scheduled to be released on Friday, July 14, 2017.


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, May 2016 – May 2017, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
Detroit areaUnited StatesDetroit areaUnited StatesDetroit areaUnited States

2016

 

May

$2.387$2.324$0.156$0.133$0.725$0.877

June

2.6792.4220.1620.1380.7280.891

July

2.4142.2870.1610.1390.7330.931

August

2.3792.2180.1680.1390.7410.943

September

2.4002.2690.1690.1390.7360.954

October

2.3822.3040.1700.1340.7420.961

November

2.2002.2460.1660.1310.7800.970

December

2.3832.2890.1660.1330.7840.972

2017

 

January

2.5122.4090.1670.1340.7861.000

February

2.3582.3600.1610.1350.7841.003

March

2.4612.3860.1610.1340.7840.989

April

2.6232.4790.1610.1350.7751.000

May

2.4922.4480.1610.1370.7871.036

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, June 29, 2017