Gasoline prices averaged $3.475 a gallon in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area in December 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Giancarlo Parenti noted that area gasoline prices were up $1.32 compared to last December when they averaged $2.160 per gallon. Boston area households paid an average of 24.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in December 2021, up from 21.7 cents per kWh in December 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.894 per therm in December was up from $1.595 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.475 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Boston area were about the same as the national average of $3.505 a gallon in December 2021. Last December, gasoline costs in Boston were about the same as the nation. Over most of the past five Decembers, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Boston have matched the U.S. average. (See chart 1.)

The 24.5 cents per kWh that Boston households paid for electricity in December 2021 was 72.5 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 14.2 cents per kWh. Last December, electricity costs in Boston were 59.6 percent higher than the nation. Boston area electricity costs have exceeded the national average by at least 57.4 percent over the past five Decembers. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Boston area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.894 per therm in December 2021, 35.1 percent above the national average of $1.402 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Boston area have been above the national average over the previous five Decembers, by at least 35.1. (See chart 3.)

The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H., Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts; Rockingham, Strafford Counties in New Hampshire.

The Consumer Price Index for January 2022 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 10, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, December 2020–December 2021, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Boston area	United States	Boston area	United States	Boston area
2020
December	$2.235	$2.160	$0.136	$0.217	$1.114	$1.595
2021
January	2.391	2.330	0.136	0.230	1.119	1.596
February	2.559	2.457	0.137	0.230	1.124	1.581
March	2.856	2.772	0.138	0.234	1.144	1.578
April	2.907	2.830	0.139	0.238	1.166	1.578
May	3.041	2.925	0.140	0.227	1.201	1.258
June	3.245	3.021	0.142	0.229	1.219	1.258
July	3.326	3.091	0.143	0.225	1.241	1.258
August	3.351	3.123	0.144	0.228	1.267	1.286
September	3.361	3.164	0.144	0.228	1.302	1.286
October	3.477	3.324	0.142	0.228	1.383	1.397
November	3.576	3.486	0.142	0.244	1.401	1.849
December	3.505	3.475	0.142	0.245	1.402	1.894