Gasoline prices averaged $2.541 per gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in November 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were lower than last November when they averaged $2.661 per gallon. Detroit’s average cost per kilowatt-hour data were unavailable for November 2019. In November, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was 87.5 cents per therm, similar to its average price of 86.8 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.541 per gallon in November 2019, costs for gasoline in the Detroit area were 14.6 cents lower than the national average of $2.687 per gallon. Over the previous four years in November (2015-2018) local area gasoline costs have ranged from 7.2 cents lower (2018) to 12.1 cents higher (2017) than the national average. (See chart 1.)

The electricity prices for Detroit area households were unavailable in November 2019. The national average cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) was 13.3 cents. In the previous four years (2015-2018) in November, Detroit area electricity costs exceeded the national average, ranging from 11.9 percent to 26.7 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 87.5 cents per therm in November 2019, 17.3 percent below the national average of $1.058 per therm. In the previous four years (2015-2018) in November, Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 13.6 percent to 25.1 percent less. (See chart 3.)

The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, core based statistical area covered in this release is comprised of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, 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 December 2019 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, January 14, 2020.

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, 9 divisions, 2 population size classes, 8 region/size-class cross-classifications, and the 23 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-Warren-Dearborn, MI, and the United States, November 2018 – November 2019, 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
2018
November	$2.661	$2.733	$0.150	$0.134	$0.868	$1.020
December	2.295	2.479	–	0.135	0.852	1.085
2019
January	2.032	2.352	0.147	0.135	0.864	1.082
February	2.294	2.412	0.147	0.136	0.857	1.051
March	2.576	2.620	0.147	0.135	0.844	1.048
April	2.831	2.894	0.147	0.135	0.856	1.034
May	2.850	2.963	0.151	0.136	0.871	1.035
June	2.746	2.814	0.158	0.139	0.874	1.035
July	2.918	2.836	0.173	0.140	0.863	1.029
August	2.776	2.716	0.172	0.139	0.882	1.034
September	2.724	2.694	0.173	0.139	0.860	1.019
October	2.637	2.741	0.171	0.136	0.896	1.041
November	2.541	2.687	–	0.133	0.875	1.058
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.