Gasoline prices averaged $3.719 per gallon in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area in February 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that gasoline prices were up $1.107 from last February, when area households paid $2.612 per gallon. Electricity prices averaged 19.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), down from the 21.9 cents per kWh paid in February 2021. The average price of utility (piped) gas, at $1.538 per therm, was greater than last February’s price of $1.321. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.719 a gallon, the price of gasoline in the New York area was close to the $3.675 national average in February 2022. One year earlier, gas prices in the New York area were similar to the national average. The local price of a gallon of gasoline in February has been within 4.0 percent of the national average four of the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 19.6 cents per kWh New York area households paid for electricity in February 2022 was 32.4 percent more than the national average of 14.8 cents per kWh. Last February, electricity prices were 59.9 percent higher in the New York area compared to the nation. Over the past five years, electricity prices for local area consumers in February were 32.4 to 59.9 percent more than the national average. (See chart 2.)

The average price paid in February 2022 by New York area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.538 per therm, 8.8 percent above the national average of $1.413. In February 2021, area consumers paid 17.5 percent more than the national average. From 2018 to 2022, February natural gas prices have ranged from 8.8 to 23.3 percent above the national average. (See chart 3.)

The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-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 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, February 2021–February 2022, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	New York area	United States	New York area	United States	New York area
2021
February	$2.559	$2.612	$0.137	$0.219	$1.124	$1.321
March	2.856	2.870	0.138	0.188	1.144	1.310
April	2.907	2.911	0.139	0.208	1.166	1.276
May	3.041	3.038	0.140	0.214	1.201	1.250
June	3.245	3.202	0.142	0.222	1.219	1.289
July	3.326	3.286	0.143	0.216	1.241	1.311
August	3.351	3.314	0.144	0.226	1.267	1.321
September	3.361	3.349	0.144	0.222	1.302	1.371
October	3.477	3.488	0.142	0.214	1.383	1.426
November	3.576	3.625	0.142	0.207	1.401	1.447
December	3.505	3.581	0.142	0.200	1.402	1.497
2022
January	3.500	3.537	0.147	0.256	1.409	1.497
February	3.675	3.719	0.148	0.196	1.413	1.538