Gasoline prices averaged $2.609 a gallon in the Atlanta area in May 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that area gasoline prices were $1.098 lower than last May when they averaged $3.707 per gallon. Atlanta area households paid an average of 11.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2015, more than the 11.5 cents per kWh paid in May 2014. The average cost of utility (piped) gas, at $1.422 was less than the $1.634 spent last year. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Atlanta area consumers paid $2.609 a gallon for gasoline in May 2015, 7.9 percent lower than the  $2.832 paid nationally. A year earlier, consumers in the Atlanta area paid a similar price than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. In the past five years, prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for gasoline have been similar to or less than the U.S. average in the month of May. (See chart 1.)

 

The 11.8 cents per kWh Atlanta households paid for electricity in May was 13.9 percent less than the nationwide average of 13.7 cents per kWh. Last May, electricity costs in Atlanta were 15.4 percent less than those paid for the nation. In each of the past five years, prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for electricity have been at least 7 percent less than the U.S. average in the month of May. (See chart 2.)

 

Prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.422 per therm, or 52.9 percent higher than the national average in May 2015 ($0.930 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 47.1 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in May for Atlanta households was at least 40 percent more than the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Atlanta, Ga., Metropolitan Statistical Area 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.

The June 2015 Consumer Price Index for the Atlanta area is scheduled to be released on Friday, July 17, 2015.

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, May 2014-2015, 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
2014
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
October	3.222	3.241	0.115	0.136	1.549	1.033
November	2.818	2.945	0.111	0.134	1.514	1.035
December	2.493	2.618	0.111	0.135	1.561	1.060
2015
January	2.073	2.170	0.113	0.138	1.484	1.036
February	2.152	2.308	0.113	0.138	1.463	1.007
March	2.246	2.544	0.113	0.136	1.455	0.985
April	2.295	2.545	0.113	0.137	1.426	0.947
May	2.609	2.832	0.118	0.137	1.422	0.930