Gasoline prices averaged $3.582 a gallon in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area in February 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that area gasoline prices were up $1.13 compared to last February when they averaged $2.457 per gallon. Boston area households paid an average of 26.9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in February 2022, up from 23.0 cents per kWh in February 2021. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.853 per therm in February was up from $1.581 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.582 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Boston area were about the same as the national average of $3.675 a gallon in February 2022. Last February, gasoline costs in Boston were about the same as the nation. Over the past five months of February, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Boston have matched the U.S. average. (See chart 1.)

The 26.9 cents per kWh that Boston households paid for electricity in February 2022 was 81.8 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 14.8 cents per kWh. Last February, electricity costs in Boston were 67.9 percent higher than the nation. Boston area electricity costs have exceeded the national average by at least 67.9 percent over the past five months of February. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Boston area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.853 per therm in February 2022, 31.1 percent above the national average of $1.413 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Boston area have been above the national average over the previous five months of February, by at least 31.1. (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 March 2022 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, April 12, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, February 2021–February 2022, 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
2021
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
2022
January	3.500	3.452	0.147	0.266	1.409	1.853
February	3.675	3.582	0.148	0.269	1.413	1.853