Gasoline prices averaged $4.175 per gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in March 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were up $1.449 compared to March 2021 when they averaged $2.726 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 17.8 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2022, similar to the 17.5 cents per kilowatt-hour paid in March 2021. In March, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was $1.173 per therm, up from its average price of 95.5 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

The $4.175 per gallon Detroit households paid for gasoline in March 2022 was 22.6 cents less than the nationwide average of $4.401. In the previous four years in March (2018-2021), gasoline prices in the Detroit were as much as 21.7 cents less per gallon than the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 17.8 cents per kWh that Detroit households paid for electricity in March 2022 was 18.7 percent more than the national average cost of 15.0 cents per kWh. In the past four years in March (2018-2021), average electricity costs in the Detroit area exceeded the national average by as much as 26.8 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area households for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.173 per therm in March 2022, 16.9 percent less than the national average of $1.411 per therm. In the previous four years (2018-2021) in March, Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 16.5 percent to 28.2 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 April 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, March 2021–March 2022, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Detroit area	United States	Detroit area	United States	Detroit area
2021
March	$2.856	$2.726	$0.138	$0.175	$1.144	$0.955
April	2.907	2.778	0.139	0.175	1.166	0.964
May	3.041	2.927	0.140	0.175	1.201	–
June	3.245	3.203	0.142	0.183	1.219	0.973
July	3.326	3.328	0.143	0.183	1.241	0.981
August	3.351	3.368	0.144	0.183	1.267	0.998
September	3.361	3.313	0.144	0.183	1.302	1.022
October	3.477	3.345	0.142	0.184	1.383	1.099
November	3.576	3.419	0.142	0.177	1.401	–
December	3.505	3.320	0.142	0.177	1.402	1.127
2022
January	3.500	3.265	0.147	0.178	1.409	1.099
February	3.675	3.445	0.148	0.178	1.413	1.135
March	4.401	4.175	0.150	0.178	1.411	1.173
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.