Boston area households paid an average of $2.532 a gallon for gasoline in December 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that area gasoline prices were up 28.7 cents, compared to last December’s when they averaged $2.245 per gallon. Utility (piped) gas prices averaged $1.455 per therm in the Boston area in December 2017. Area natural gas prices increased 14 cents from one year ago when they averaged $1.315 per therm.  The average cost of electricity at 21.4 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in December was up 1.9 cents, compared to the 19.5 cents spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

Boston area consumers paid $2.532 a gallon for gasoline which was similar to the national average of $2.521 in December 2017. One year ago, consumers in the Boston area paid $2.245 which was also similar to the national average of $2.289 for a gallon of gasoline. (See chart 1.) 

 

The 21.4 cents per kWh Boston households paid for electricity in December 2017 was 57.4 percent more than the nationwide average of 13.6 cents per kWh.  Last December, electricity costs were 46.6 percent higher in Boston compared to the nation. In each of the last five years, the price of electricity in Boston has exceeded that for the nation in the month of December, by 27.5 percent or more. (See chart 2.)

 

Prices paid by Boston area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.455 per therm, 39.6 percent higher than the national average in December 2017 ($1.042 per therm).  In December of 2016 local prices were 35.3 percent higher than those of the nation ($0.972). In each of the last five years, the price of natural gas in Boston has exceeded that for the nation in the month of December, by 30.7 percent or more. (See chart 3.)

 

The Boston-Brockton-Nashua, Mass.-N.H.-Maine-Conn. consolidated area consists of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Bristol, Hampden, and Worcester Counties in Massachusetts; Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire; York County in Maine; and Windham County in Connecticut.

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, the 3 population size classes, 10 region/size-class cross-classifications, and the 14 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: 1-800-877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Boston-Brockton-Nashua and the United States, December 2016 - December 2017, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline, all types, per gallon		Electricity per kilowatt hour		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Boston area	United States	Boston area	United States	Boston area	United States
2016
December	2.245	2.289	0.195	0.133	1.315	0.972
2017
January	2.317	2.409	0.201	0.134	1.314	1.000
February	2.272	2.360	0.201	0.135	1.352	1.003
March	2.251	2.386	0.205	0.134	1.322	0.989
April	2.346	2.479	0.205	0.135	1.294	1.000
May	2.358	2.448	0.206	0.137	1.134	1.036
June	2.291	2.400	0.206	0.142	1.155	1.040
July	2.282	2.344	0.204	0.143	1.155	1.031
August	2.376	2.436	0.204	0.142	1.127	1.027
September	2.703	2.688	0.204	0.142	1.127	1.018
October	2.602	2.545	0.204	0.137	1.075	1.020
November	2.570	2.608	0.214	0.136	1.455	1.028
December	2.532	2.521	0.214	0.136	1.455	1.042