Gasoline prices averaged $3.328 per gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in July 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were $1.106 higher than a year ago in July when they averaged $2.222 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 18.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in July 2021, comparable to the 17.5 cents in July 2020. In July, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was 98.1 cents per therm, more than the average price of 85.7 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.328 per gallon, gasoline costs in the Detroit area were similar to the national average of $3.326 per gallon in July 2021. In the previous four years in July (2017-2020), gasoline prices in Detroit have ranged from 2.1 cents less to 15.8 cents more than the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 18.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) that Detroit area households paid for electricity in July 2021 was 28.0 percent more than the nationwide average cost of 14.3 cents per kWh. In the prior four years in July (2017-2020), Detroit area electricity costs exceeded the national average, ranging from 14.7 percent to 27.7 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 98.1 cents per therm in July 2021, 21.0 percent below the national average of $1.241 per therm. In the previous four years (2017-2020) in July, Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 16.1 percent to 25.1 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 August 2021 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, September 14, 2021.

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, July 2020 – July 2021, 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
2020
July	$2.222	$2.243	$0.175	$0.137	$0.857	$1.027
August	2.189	2.245	0.175	0.137	0.864	1.031
September	2.067	2.260	0.180	0.137	0.890	1.064
October	2.079	2.228	0.181	0.135	0.962	1.067
November	1.982	2.159	0.173	0.136	0.954	1.104
December	2.076	2.235	0.173	0.136	0.957	1.114
2021
January	2.219	2.391	0.175	0.136	0.950	1.119
February	2.437	2.559	0.175	0.137	0.940	1.124
March	2.726	2.856	0.175	0.138	0.955	1.144
April	2.778	2.907	0.175	0.139	0.964	1.166
May	2.927	3.041	0.175	0.140	–	1.201
June	3.203	3.245	0.183	0.142	0.973	1.219
July	3.328	3.326	0.183	0.143	0.981	1.241
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.