Gasoline prices averaged $3.658 per gallon in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area in January 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were 9.3 cents lower in January 2022, when they averaged $3.565 per gallon. Chicago area households paid an average of 15.1 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in January 2023, comparable to the 15.3 cents per kilowatt-hour paid in January 2022. In January, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was $1.266 per therm, up from its average price of $1.167 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

The $3.658 per gallon Chicago households paid for gasoline in January 2023 was 10.3 cents more than the nationwide average of $3.555. In the previous four years, in January (2019-2022), gasoline prices in the Chicago area ranged from 13.6 cents less to 8.1 cents more than the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 15.1 cents per kWh that Chicago households paid for electricity in January 2023 was 10.1 percent less than the national average cost of 16.8 cents per kWh. In the previous four years, in January (2019-2022), electricity costs in the Chicago area were as much as 19.3 percent more than the national average.

(See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Chicago area households for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.266 per therm in January 2023, 30.4 percent less than the national average of $1.819 per therm. In the previous four years (2019-2022), in January, Chicago area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average by as much as 27.6 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 February 2023 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

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, January 2022–January 2023, 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
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
April	4.369	4.546	0.151	0.157	1.445	1.256
May	4.695	5.027	0.154	0.159	1.565	1.634
June	5.149	5.814	0.160	(R) 0.146	1.699	1.772
July	4.768	5.364	(R) 0.164	(R) 0.147	1.629	1.762
August	4.205	4.659	0.167	(R) 0.149	1.694	1.745
September	3.990	4.327	0.167	(R) 0.149	1.739	1.734
October	4.130	4.513	0.166	0.132	1.668	1.721
November	3.958	4.300	0.163	0.133	1.616	1.565
December	3.459	3.542	0.165	0.148	1.667	1.334
2023
January	3.555	3.658	0.168	0.151	1.819	1.266