Gasoline prices averaged $3.804 a gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in September 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were down 23.1 cents compared to last September when they averaged $4.035 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 20.4 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in September 2023, up from 18.8 cents per kWh in September 2022. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.144 per therm in September was down from $1.439 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.804 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Detroit area were 30.3 cents less than the national average of $4.107 a gallon in September 2023. Over the past five Septembers, gasoline prices in the Detroit area have ranged from $4.035 to $2.067. (See chart 1.)

The 20.4 cents per kWh that Detroit households paid for electricity in September 2023 was 19.3 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 17.1 cents per kWh. Over the past five Septembers, Detroit area electricity prices have ranged from 31.4 percent to 12.6 percent higher than the national average. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.144 per therm in September 2023, 23.3 cents below the national average of $1.377 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Detroit area have been at least 15.6 percent below the national average over the previous five Septembers. (See chart 3.)

The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Core Based Statistical Area consists 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 October 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at 7:30 a.m. (CT).

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, September 2022–September 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
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	0.180	1.667	–
2023
January	3.555	3.429	0.168	0.182	1.819	1.334
February	3.622	3.448	0.168	0.182	1.609	–
March	3.660	3.543	0.166	0.192	1.493	1.207
April	3.839	3.638	0.165	0.192	1.413	1.174
May	3.794	3.540	0.165	0.192	1.385	1.154
June	3.821	3.680	0.170	0.201	1.371	1.138
July	3.842	3.654	0.169	0.201	1.395	1.137
August	4.064	3.869	0.170	0.202	1.402	1.121
September	4.107	3.804	0.171	0.204	1.377	1.144
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.