Gasoline prices averaged $2.675 per gallon in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area in November 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that gasoline prices were down 17.0 cents from last November when area households paid $2.845 per gallon. Electricity prices averaged 19.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), similar to the 19.4 cents per kWh paid in November 2018. The average price of utility (piped) gas, at $1.255 per therm, was greater than last November’s price of $1.226. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.675 a gallon, the price of gasoline in the New York area was close to the $2.687 national average in November 2019. One year earlier, consumers in the New York area paid 4.1% more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. For four of the past five years, the local price of a gallon of gasoline in November has been within 5 percent of the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 19.7 cents per kWh New York area households paid for electricity in November 2019 was 48 percent more than the national average of 13.3 cents per kWh. Last November, electricity prices were 45 percent higher in the New York area compared to the nation. In the past five years, electricity charges for local area consumers in November were 36 to 48 percent more than the national average. (See chart 2.)

The average price paid in November 2019 by New York area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.255 per therm, 19 percent more than the national average of $1.058. In 2018, area consumers paid 20 percent more than the national average. The per-therm cost for natural gas in the New York area in November has exceeded the U.S. average by at least 13 percent over the past three years, in contrast to the two prior years when area households paid close to the national average. (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 December 2019 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 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, November 2018–November 2019, 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
2018
November	2.845	2.733	0.194	0.134	1.226	1.020
December	2.655	2.479	0.193	0.135	1.294	1.085
2019
January	2.507	2.352	0.202	0.135	1.337	1.082
February	2.477	2.412	0.196	0.136	1.296	1.051
March	2.628	2.620	0.201	0.135	1.255	1.048
April	2.839	2.894	0.197	0.135	1.209	1.034
May	2.997	2.963	0.194	0.136	1.196	1.035
June	2.912	2.814	0.211	0.139	1.196	1.035
July	2.902	2.836	0.207	0.140	1.184	1.029
August	2.844	2.716	0.202	0.139	1.188	1.034
September	2.706	2.694	0.205	0.139	1.187	1.019
October	2.676	2.741	0.194	0.136	1.219	1.041
November	2.675	2.687	0.197	0.133	1.255	1.058