Gasoline prices averaged $3.388 a gallon in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area in September 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that area gasoline prices were down 26.1 cents compared to last September when they averaged $3.649 per gallon. Miami area households paid an average of 12.1 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in September 2014, up from 11.5 per (kWh) in September 2013. The average price of utility (piped) gas, at $1.589 per therm in September, was more than the $1.489 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

Miami area consumers paid $3.388 a gallon for gasoline in September 2014, compared to $3.463 nationally. A year earlier, consumers in the Miami area paid close to the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has been similar to the national average in the month of September over the past five years. (See chart 1.)   

The 12.1 cents per kWh Miami households paid for electricity in September 2014 was 14.2 percent less than the nationwide average of 14.1 cents per kWh. Last September, electricity costs were 16.1 percent lower in Miami compared to the nation. The local price of electricity in the Miami area in September was at least 13 percent less than the U.S. in each of the last five years. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Miami area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.589 per therm, or 50.2 percent higher than the national average in September 2014 ($1.058 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 48.9 percent more per therm for natural gas than the nation. In each of the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in September was at least 30 percent more in the Miami area versus the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) consists of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties in Florida.

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, Miami-Fort Lauderdale and the United States, September 2013-2014, not seasonally adjusted

Year and Month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Miami area	United States	Miami area	United States	Miami area	United States
2013
September	3.649	3.616	0.115	0.137	1.489	1.000
October	3.502	3.434	0.115	0.132	1.516	0.999
November	3.437	3.310	0.115	0.130	1.529	0.999
December	3.534	3.333	0.114	0.131	1.542	0.998
2014
January	3.527	3.378	0.120	0.134	1.606	1.040
February	3.534	3.422	0.119	0.134	1.606	1.078
March	3.664	3.590	0.120	0.135	1.642	1.154
April	3.857	3.717	0.122	0.131	1.618	1.137
May	3.732	3.745	0.122	0.136	1.618	1.111
June	3.662	3.750	0.122	0.143	1.634	1.088
July	3.624	3.690	0.121	0.143	1.634	1.093
August	3.451	3.540	0.121	0.143	1.598	1.060
September	3.388	3.463	0.121	0.141	1.589	1.058