Gasoline prices averaged $3.429 per gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in January 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were up 16.4 cents compared to January 2022, when they averaged $3.265 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 18.9 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in January 2023, more than the 17.8 cents per kilowatt-hour paid in January 2022. In January, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was $1.334 per therm, up from its average price of $1.099 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

The $3.429 per gallon Detroit households paid for gasoline in January 2023 was 12.6 cents less than the nationwide average of $3.555. In the previous four years, in January (2019-2022), gasoline prices in the Detroit area were as much as 32.0 cents less than the national average. (See chart 1.)

Detroit households paid 18.9 cents per kWh for electricity in January 2023, 12.5 percent more than the national average cost of 16.8 cents per kWh. In the previous four years (2019-2022), in January, average electricity costs in the Detroit area were higher than the national average, ranging from 8.9 percent to 28.7 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area households for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.334 per therm in January 2023, 26.7 percent less than the national average of $1.819 per therm. In the previous four years (2019-2022), in January, Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 15.1 percent to 22.0 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 March 2023 is scheduled to be released on April 12, 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, January 2022–January 2023, 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
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
April	4.369	4.075	0.151	0.180	1.445	1.189
May	4.695	4.501	0.154	0.180	1.565	–
June	5.149	5.238	0.160	0.189	1.699	1.441
July	4.768	4.734	0.164	0.189	1.629	1.429
August	4.205	4.068	0.167	0.188	1.694	1.345
September	3.990	4.035	0.167	0.188	1.739	1.439
October	4.130	4.147	0.166	0.188	1.668	1.460
November	3.958	3.865	0.163	0.180	1.616	1.352
December	3.459	3.180	0.165	–	1.667	–
2023
January	3.555	3.429	0.168	0.189	1.819	1.334
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.