Gasoline prices averaged $2.117 per gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in March 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were lower compared to a year ago in March when they averaged $2.576 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 16.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2020, more than the 14.7 cents paid in March 2019. In March 2020, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was 83.5 cents per therm, compared to its average price of 84.4 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.117 per gallon in March 2020, costs for gasoline in the Detroit area were 21.7 cents lower than the national average of $2.334 per gallon. Over the previous four years in March (2016-2019) local area gasoline costs have ranged from 5.8 cents lower to 7.5 cents higher than the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 16.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) that Detroit area households paid for electricity in March 2020 was 22.4 percent more than the nationwide average cost of 13.4 cents per kWh. In the previous four years (2016-2019) in March, Detroit area electricity costs exceeded the national average, ranging from 8.9 percent to 21.5 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 83.5 cents per therm in March 2020, 19.2 percent below the national average of $1.034 per therm. In the previous four years (2016-2019) in March, Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 12.7 percent to 28.2 percent less. (See chart 3.)

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 April 2020 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, May 12, 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, March 2019 – March 2020, 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
2019
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
December	2.574	2.652	0.165	0.133	0.879	1.057
2020
January	2.569	2.631	0.163	0.134	0.886	1.066
February	2.382	2.530	0.164	0.134	0.877	1.050
March	2.117	2.334	0.164	0.134	0.835	1.034
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.