Gasoline prices averaged $1.936 per gallon in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area in April 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were down $1.13 compared to April 2019 when they averaged $3.066 per gallon. Chicago area households paid an average of 14.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in April 2020, less than the 16.5 cents in April 2019. In April, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was 74.1 cents per therm, less than its average price of 76.0 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

The $1.936 per gallon Chicago households paid for gasoline in April 2020 was similar to the nationwide average of $1.946. In the previous four years in April (2016-2019), Chicago area gasoline prices ranged from 13.5 cents to 17.4 cents more than the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 14.4 cents per kWh that Chicago households paid for electricity in April 2020 was 8.3 percent more than the nationwide average cost of 13.3 cents per kWh. Average electricity costs in Chicago were higher than the national average in the previous four years (2016-2019) in April, ranging from 11.9 percent to 22.2 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Chicago area households for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 74.1 cents per therm in April 2020, 27.9 percent less than the national average of $1.028 per therm. In each of the previous four years (2016-2019) in April, Chicago area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 13.9 percent to 26.5 percent less. (See chart 3.)

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, core based statistical area consists of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana; and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.

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 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 10, 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 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, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, and the United States, April 2019 – April 2020, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Chicago area	United States	Chicago area	United States	Chicago area	United States
2019
April	$3.066	$2.894	$0.165	$0.135	$0.760	$1.034
May	3.166	2.963	0.161	0.136	0.778	1.035
June	2.994	2.814	0.161	0.139	0.812	1.035
July	3.095	2.836	0.157	0.140	0.799	1.029
August	2.863	2.716	0.164	0.139	0.792	1.034
September	2.796	2.694	0.161	0.139	0.756	1.019
October	2.733	2.741	0.166	0.136	0.767	1.041
November	2.676	2.687	0.141	0.133	0.764	1.058
December	2.638	2.652	0.141	0.133	0.760	1.057
2020
January	2.682	2.631	0.145	0.134	0.772	1.066
February	2.629	2.530	0.149	0.134	0.770	1.050
March	2.366	2.334	0.143	0.134	0.757	1.034
April	1.936	1.946	0.144	0.133	0.741	1.028