Gasoline prices averaged $3.020 per gallon in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area in May 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that gasoline prices were up $0.509 compared to last May when area households paid $2.511 per gallon. Electricity prices averaged 21.0 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), up from the 20.2 cents per kWh paid in May 2017. The average price of utility (piped) gas, at $1.262 per therm, was more than last May’s price of $1.136. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.020 a gallon, the price of gasoline in the New York area was close to the $2.963 national average in May 2018. One year earlier, consumers in the New York area also paid about the same as the national average. For the past five years, the local price of a gallon of gasoline in May has been within 3 percent of the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 21.0 cents per kWh New York households paid for electricity in May 2018 was 54 percent more than the national average of 13.6 cents per kWh. Last May, electricity prices were 47 percent higher in New York compared to the nation. In the past five years, electricity charges for local area consumers in May were 33 to 54 percent more than the national average. (See chart 2.)

The average price paid in May 2018 by New York area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.262 per therm, 20 percent more than the national average of $1.050. In 2017, area consumers paid 10 percent more than the national average. In four of the past five years, the per-therm cost for natural gas in the New York in May exceeded the U.S. average by 10 percent or less. (See chart 3.)

The New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., Core Based Statistical Area includes Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties in New York; Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties in New Jersey; and Pike County in Pennsylvania.

The Consumer Price Index for June 2018 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 12, 2018 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, New York-Newark-Jersey City and the United States, May 2017–May 2018, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	New York	United States	New York	United States	New York	United States
2017
May	$2.511	$2.448	$0.202	$0.137	$1.136	$1.036
June	2.488	2.400	0.208	0.142	1.155	1.040
July	2.441	2.344	0.205	0.143	1.119	1.031
August	2.512	2.436	0.201	0.142	1.096	1.027
September	2.827	2.688	0.203	0.142	1.095	1.018
October	2.652	2.545	0.190	0.137	1.089	1.020
November	2.658	2.608	0.200	0.136	1.158	1.028
December	2.623	2.521	0.208	0.136	1.188	1.042
2018
January	2.685	2.596	0.202	0.135	1.124	1.048
February	2.750	2.632	0.198	0.135	1.241	1.077
March	2.682	2.631	0.206	0.135	1.225	1.054
April	2.814	2.795	0.203	0.134	1.212	1.044
May	3.020	2.963	0.210	0.136	1.262	1.050