Gasoline prices averaged $4.562 per gallon in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area in March 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were up $1.599 compared to March 2021 when they averaged $2.963 per gallon. Chicago area households paid an average of 16.0 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2022, more than the 14.8 cents per kilowatt-hour paid in March 2021. In March, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was $1.230 per therm, up from its average price of 87.6 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

The $4.562 per gallon Chicago households paid for gasoline in March 2022 was 16.1 cents more than the nationwide average of $4.401. In the previous four years in March (2018-2021), gasoline prices in the Chicago area were as much as 14.1 cents more per gallon than the U.S. average. (See chart 1.)

The 16.0 cents per kWh that Chicago households paid for electricity in March 2022 was 6.7 percent more than the national average cost of 15.0 cents per kWh. In the past four years in March (2018-2021), Chicago area electricity costs were higher than the national average, ranging from 6.7 percent to 19.3 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Chicago area households for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.230 per therm in March 2022, 12.8 percent less than the national average of $1.411 per therm. In the previous four years (2018-2021) in March, Chicago area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average by as much as 26.8 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 March 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.

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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, March 2021–March 2022, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Chicago area	United States	Chicago area	United States	Chicago area
2021
March	$2.856	$2.963	$0.138	$0.148	$1.144	$0.876
April	2.907	3.072	0.139	0.143	1.166	1.037
May	3.041	3.223	0.140	0.146	1.201	1.068
June	3.245	3.488	0.142	0.143	1.219	1.111
July	3.326	3.543	0.143	0.147	1.241	1.101
August	3.351	3.531	0.144	0.148	1.267	1.120
September	3.361	3.534	0.144	0.144	1.302	1.128
October	3.477	3.641	0.142	0.143	1.383	1.192
November	3.576	3.697	0.142	0.146	1.401	1.182
December	3.505	3.558	0.142	0.146	1.402	1.228
2022
January	3.500	3.565	0.147	0.153	1.409	1.167
February	3.675	3.796	0.148	0.160	1.413	1.132
March	4.401	4.562	0.150	0.160	1.411	1.230