Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

21-1509-SAN
Thursday, August 12, 2021

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Average Energy Prices, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward – July 2021

Gasoline prices averaged $4.472 a gallon in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area in July 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that area gasoline prices were $1.346 higher than last July when they averaged $3.126 per gallon. San Francisco area households paid an average of 26.1 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in July 2021, higher than the 24.0 cents per kWh paid in July 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.678 per therm in July was higher than the $1.634 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $4.472 a gallon, San Francisco area consumers paid 34.5 percent more than the $3.326 national average in July 2021. A year earlier, consumers in the San Francisco area paid 39.4 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has ranged from 27.6 to 39.4 percent above the national average in the month of July during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 26.1 cents per kWh San Francisco households paid for electricity in July 2021 was 82.5 percent more than the nationwide average of 14.3 cents per kWh. Last July, electricity costs were 75.2 percent higher in San Francisco compared to the nation. In each of the past five years, prices paid by San Francisco area consumers for electricity exceeded the U.S. average by at least 46.9 percent in the month of July. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by San Francisco area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.678 per therm, or 35.2 percent above the national average in July 2021 ($1.241 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 59.1 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in July in the San Francisco area has varied between 35.2 percent and 59.1 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif. metropolitan area consists of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties in California.


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, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward and the United States, July 2020 - July 2021, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
San Francisco areaUnited StatesSan Francisco areaUnited StatesSan Francisco areaUnited States
2020      

July

$3.126$2.243$0.240$0.137$1.634$1.027

August

3.2302.2450.2400.1371.6791.031

September

3.2612.2600.2400.1371.8121.064

October

3.2282.2280.2360.1351.7791.067

November

3.2222.1590.2360.1361.5981.104

December

3.2382.2350.2360.1361.6021.114
2021      

January

3.3562.3910.2420.1361.6031.119

February

3.4582.5590.2420.1371.6181.124

March

3.7902.8560.2510.1381.6561.144

April

3.9432.9070.2570.1391.7071.166

May

4.1173.0410.2570.1401.6951.201

June

4.3963.2450.2610.1421.7041.219

July

4.4723.3260.2610.1431.6781.241

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 12, 2021