Gasoline prices averaged $5.212 in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area in May 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that area gasoline prices were $1.764 higher than last May when they averaged $3.448 per gallon. Seattle area households paid an average of 11.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2022, compared to the 11.6 cents per kWh paid in May 2021. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.261 per therm in May was more than the $1.186 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $5.212 a gallon, Seattle area consumers paid 11.0 percent more than the $4.695 national average in May 2022. A year earlier, consumers in the Seattle area paid 13.4 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has been within 22.0 percent of the national average in the month of May during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 11.8 cents per kWh Seattle households paid for electricity in May 2022 was 23.4 percent less than the nationwide average of 15.4 cents per kWh. Last May, electricity costs were 17.1 percent lower in Seattle compared to the nation. In each of the past five years during the month of May, prices paid by Seattle area consumers for electricity were less than the U.S. average by at least 14.9 percent. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Seattle area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.261 per therm, or 19.4 percent below the national average in May 2022 ($1.565 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 1.2 percent less per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in May in the Seattle area has varied between 5.1 percent above and 19.4 percent below the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. metropolitan area consists of 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, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, May 2021–May 2022, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Seattle area	United States	Seattle area	United States	Seattle area
2021
May	$3.041	$3.448	$0.140	$0.116	$1.201	$1.186
June	3.245	3.832	0.142	0.116	1.219	1.186
July	3.326	4.013	0.143	0.117	1.241	1.186
August	3.351	4.077	0.144	0.117	1.267	1.186
September	3.361	4.070	0.144	0.117	1.302	1.187
October	3.477	4.068	0.142	0.116	1.383	1.192
November	3.576	4.090	0.142	0.117	1.401	1.269
December	3.505	4.085	0.142	0.117	1.402	1.269
2022
January	3.500	4.138	0.147	0.117	1.409	1.269
February	3.675	4.182	0.148	0.117	1.413	1.269
March	4.401	4.848	0.150	0.117	1.411	1.269
April	4.369	4.908	0.151	0.119	1.445	1.263
May	4.695	5.212	0.154	0.118	1.565	1.261