Gasoline prices averaged $2.722 a gallon in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton area in June 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that area gasoline prices were up 15.5 cents compared to last June when they averaged $2.567 per gallon. Seattle area households paid an average of 11.2 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in June 2017, higher than the 10.8 cents per kWh paid in June 2016. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.150 per therm in June was higher than the $1.123 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $2.722 a gallon, Seattle area consumers paid 13.4 percent more than the $2.400 national average in June 2017. A year earlier, consumers in the Seattle area paid 6.0 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has been within 13.4 percent of the national average in the month of June during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 11.2 cents per kWh Seattle households paid for electricity in June 2017 was 21.1 percent less than the nationwide average of 14.2 cents per kWh. Last June, electricity costs were 21.7 percent lower in Seattle compared to the nation. In each of the past five years during the month of June, prices paid by Seattle area consumers for electricity were less than the U.S. average by at least 21.1 percent. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Seattle area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.150 per therm, or 10.6 percent more compared to the national average in June 2017 ($1.040 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 26.0 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in June in the Seattle area has varied between 9.1 percent and 32.7 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, Wash. metropolitan area consists of Kitsap, Thurston, Island, King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties of Washington.

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 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, Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton and the United States, June 2016-June 2017, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Seattle area	United States	Seattle area	United States	Seattle area	United States
2016
June	$2.567	$2.422	$0.108	$0.138	$1.123	$0.891
July	2.561	2.287	0.108	0.139	1.123	0.931
August	2.492	2.218	0.108	0.139	1.123	0.943
September	2.597	2.269	0.108	0.139	1.119	0.954
October	2.643	2.304	0.105	0.134	1.119	0.961
November	2.594	2.246	0.105	0.131	1.122	0.970
December	2.473	2.289	0.104	0.133	1.122	0.972
2017
January	2.686	2.409	0.106	0.134	1.122	1.000
February	2.666	2.360	0.106	0.135	1.122	1.003
March	2.726	2.386	0.106	0.134	1.122	0.989
April	2.790	2.479	0.111	0.135	1.122	1.000
May	2.765	2.448	0.112	0.137	1.149	1.036
June	2.722	2.400	0.112	0.142	1.150	1.040