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News Release Information

25-78-BOS
Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Average Energy Prices, Boston-Cambridge-Newton — December 2024

Gasoline prices averaged $3.188 a gallon in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area in December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that area gasoline prices were down 28.5 cents compared to last December. Boston area households paid an average of 30.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in December 2024, up 2.0 cents per kWh from December 2023. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $2.510 per therm in December was up from $2.202 per therm one year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.188 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Boston area were similar to the national average of $3.277 a gallon in December 2024. Last December, gasoline costs in Boston were similar to the nation. Over the past five Decembers, gasoline prices in the Boston area have ranged from $2.160 to $3.638. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 30.5 cents per kWh that Boston households paid for electricity in December 2024 was 12.9 cents, or 73.3 percent, higher than the national average cost of 17.6 cents per kWh. In December 2023, electricity costs in Boston were 28.5 cents per kWh, 68.6 percent above the national average of 16.9 cents. Over the past five years, Boston area electricity prices in December have exceeded the national average by at least 59 percent. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Boston area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $2.510 per therm in December 2024, 64.9 percent higher than the national average of $1.522 per therm. Natural gas prices in the Boston area have been at least 35 percent above the national average over the previous five Decembers. (See chart 3.)

The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts and Rockingham and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire.

The Consumer Price Index for January 2025 is scheduled to be released on February 12, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Notice Regarding Ceasing Publication of Utility Indexes

With the publication of January 2025 data in February 2025, several indexes and average price series will be discontinued.

The following CPI indexes will continue to be published at the national level, but will be discontinued for all metropolitan areas, census divisions, and regional size classes:

  • Electricity

  • Utility (piped) gas (often referred to as natural gas)

  • Energy services

  • Fuels and utilities

  • Household energy

The following CPI average price series will continue to be published at the national level, but will be discontinued for all metropolitan areas, census divisions, and regional size classes:

  • Electricity per KWH

  • Utility (piped) gas per therm


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, December 2023–December 2024, 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

2023

December

$3.411 $3.473 $0.169 $0.285 $1.429 $2.202

2024

January

3.353 3.356 0.173 0.297 1.452 2.171

February

3.486 3.354 0.173 0.291 1.465 2.171

March

3.707 3.412 0.174 0.297 1.429 2.171

April

3.907 3.613 0.173 0.297 1.375 2.153

May

3.885 3.740 0.175 0.297 1.369 1.588

June

3.729 3.645 0.178 0.297 1.407 1.588

July

3.747 3.666 0.178 0.301 1.408 1.588

August

3.648 3.581 0.177 0.305 1.401 1.561

September

3.478 3.378 0.178 0.302 1.399 1.561

October

3.412 3.241 0.177 0.302 1.422 1.578

November

3.315 3.199 0.176 0.306 1.487 2.505

December

3.277 3.188 0.176 0.305 1.522 2.510

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2025