Gasoline prices averaged $3.406 a gallon in the Atlanta area in September 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that area gasoline prices were 7.4 cents lower than last September when they averaged $3.480 per gallon. Atlanta area households paid an average of 14.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in September 2014, up from 14.2 cents (kWh) in September 2013. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.552 was more than the $1.520 spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

Atlanta area consumers paid $3.406 a gallon for gasoline in September 2014, compared to $3.463 nationally. A year earlier, consumers in the Atlanta area also paid similar prices to the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has been similar to the nation in four of the past five years for the month of September. (See chart 1.)  

 The 14.8 cents per kWh Atlanta households paid for electricity in September 2014 was five percent more than the nationwide average of 14.1 cents per kWh. Last September, electricity costs in Atlanta were similar to those paid for the nation. The local price of electricity in the Atlanta area in September was at least five percent more than the U.S. in three of the past five years. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.552 per therm, or 46.7 percent higher than the national average in September 2014 ($1.058 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 52.0 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In each of the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in September for Atlanta households was at least 25 percent more than the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Atlanta, Ga. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties in Georgia.

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 from 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, Atlanta and the United States, September 2013-2014, not seasonally adjusted

Year and Month	Gasoline Per Gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Atlanta area	United States	Atlanta area	United States	Atlanta area	United States
2013
September	3.480	3.616	0.142	0.137	1.520	1.000
October	3.384	3.434	0.112	0.132	1.505	0.999
November	3.241	3.310	0.109	0.130	1.495	0.999
December	3.221	3.333	0.109	0.131	1.528	0.998
2014
January	3.258	3.378	0.111	0.134	1.565	1.040
February	3.278	3.422	0.111	0.134	1.725	1.078
March	3.400	3.590	0.111	0.135	1.632	1.154
April	3.619	3.717	0.111	0.131	1.597	1.137
May	3.707	3.745	0.115	0.136	1.634	1.111
June	3.652	3.750	0.147	0.143	1.622	1.088
July	3.604	3.690	0.147	0.143	1.593	1.093
August	3.414	3.540	0.148	0.143	1.547	1.060
September	3.406	3.463	0.148	0.141	1.552	1.058