Gasoline prices averaged $2.404 a gallon in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area in March 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that area gasoline prices were 6.8 cents less than last March when they averaged $2.472 per gallon. Atlanta area households paid an average of 11.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2019, more than the 10.9 cents per kWh paid in March 2018. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.749 per therm in March was higher than the $1.648 per therm 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 $2.404 a gallon for gasoline in March 2019, 8.2 percent less than the $2.620 paid nationally. A year earlier, consumers in the Atlanta area paid 6.0 percent less than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of gasoline in the Atlanta area has been lower than the national average by more than 8 percent in the month of March in 3 of the past 5 years. (See chart 1.)

The 11.3 cents per kWh Atlanta households paid for electricity in March 2019 was 16.3 percent lower than the nationwide average of 13.5 cents per kWh. Last March, electricity costs in Atlanta were 19.3 percent lower than the U.S. average. In each of the past 5 years, electricity costs in March for Atlanta households was at least 16 percent less than the U.S. average. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.749 per therm, or 66.9 percent higher than the national average in March 2019 ($1.048 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 56.4 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In 3 of the past 5 years, the per therm cost for natural gas in March for Atlanta households was at least 55 percent more than the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, 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 Consumer Price Index for April 2019 is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 10, 2019.

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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell and the United States, March 2018-2019, 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
2018
March	2.472	2.631	0.109	0.135	1.648	1.054
April	2.623	2.795	0.108	0.134	1.641	1.044
May	2.767	2.963	0.113	0.136	1.648	1.050
June	2.781	2.970	0.142	0.139	1.648	1.042
July	2.744	2.930	0.142	0.139	1.613	1.038
August	2.781	2.919	0.142	0.139	1.682	1.055
September	2.762	2.930	0.126	0.138	1.713	1.030
October	2.769	2.945	0.095	0.136	1.709	1.023
November	2.429	2.733	0.108	0.134	1.785	1.020
December	2.171	2.479	0.105	0.135	1.872	1.085
2019
January	2.130	2.352	0.109	0.135	1.826	1.082
February	2.202	2.412	0.110	0.136	1.757	1.051
March	2.404	2.620	0.113	0.135	1.749	1.048