Gasoline prices averaged $5.137 in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area in July 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that area gasoline prices were 32.3 cents lower than last July when they averaged $5.460 per gallon. Seattle area households paid an average of 12.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in July 2023, compared to the 11.8 cents per kWh paid in July 2022. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.589 per therm in July was more than the $1.261 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $5.137 a gallon, Seattle area consumers paid 33.7 percent more than the $3.842 national average in July 2023. A year earlier, consumers in the Seattle area paid 14.5 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has been within 33.7 percent of the national average in the month of July during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

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Chart 1. Average prices for gasoline, the United States and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 2019–23 (as of July)

Period	United States	Seattle
Jul 2019	$2.836	$3.286
Jul 2020	$2.243	$2.621
Jul 2021	$3.326	$4.013
Jul 2022	$4.768	$5.460
Jul 2023	$3.842	$5.137
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 12.7 cents per kWh Seattle households paid for electricity in July 2023 was 24.9 percent less than the nationwide average of 16.9 cents per kWh. Last July, electricity costs were 28.0 percent lower in Seattle compared to the nation. In each of the past five years during the month of July, prices paid by Seattle area consumers for electricity were less than the U.S. average by at least 16.8 percent. (See chart 2.)

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Chart 2. Average prices for electricity, the United States and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 2019–23 (as of July)

Period	United States	Seattle
Jul 2019	$0.140	$0.111
Jul 2020	$0.137	$0.114
Jul 2021	$0.143	$0.117
Jul 2022	$0.164	$0.118
Jul 2023	$0.169	$0.127
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prices paid by Seattle area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.589 per therm, 13.9 percent higher than the national average in July 2023 ($1.395 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 22.6 percent less 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 Seattle area has varied between 13.9 percent above and 22.6 percent below the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

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Chart 3. Average prices for utility (piped) gas, the United States and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 2019–23 (as of July)

Period	United States	Seattle
Jul 2019	$1.029	$0.999
Jul 2020	$1.027	$1.090
Jul 2021	$1.241	$1.186
Jul 2022	$1.629	$1.261
Jul 2023	$1.395	$1.589
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. metropolitan area consists of King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties of Washington.

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.