Gasoline prices averaged $5.456 a gallon in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area in May 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that area gasoline prices were higher than last May when they averaged $4.926 per gallon. San Francisco area households paid an average of 41.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2024, higher than the 33.2 cents price per kWh paid in May 2023. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $2.051 per therm in May was higher than the $1.700 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $5.456 a gallon, San Francisco area consumers paid 40.4 percent more than the $3.885 national average in May 2024. A year earlier, consumers in the San Francisco area paid 29.8 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has ranged from 29.8 percent to 45.7 percent above the national average in the month of May during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Average prices for gasoline, the United States and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA, 2020–24 (as of May)

Period	United States	San Francisco
May 2020	$1.946	$2.835
May 2021	$3.041	$4.117
May 2022	$4.695	$6.149
May 2023	$3.794	$4.926
May 2024	$3.885	$5.456
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 41.3 cents per kWh San Francisco households paid for electricity in May 2024 was 136.0 percent more than the nationwide average of 17.5 cents per kWh. Last May, electricity costs were 101.2 percent higher in San Francisco compared to the nation. In the past five years, prices paid by San Francisco area consumers for electricity exceeded the U.S. average by 76.1 percent or more in the month of May. (See chart 2.)

  

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Chart 2. Average prices for electricity, the United States and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA, 2020–24 (as of May)

Period	United States	San Francisco
May 2020	$0.134	$0.236
May 2021	$0.140	$0.257
May 2022	$0.154	$0.303
May 2023	$0.165	$0.332
May 2024	$0.175	$0.413
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prices paid by San Francisco area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $2.051 per therm, 49.8 percent more than the national average in May 2024 ($1.369 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 22.7 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the San Francisco area over the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in May has varied between 22.7 percent and 56.9 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

  

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Chart 3. Average prices for utility (piped) gas, the United States and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA, 2020–24 (as of May)

Period	United States	San Francisco
May 2020	$1.037	$1.627
May 2021	$1.201	$1.695
May 2022	$1.565	$2.222
May 2023	$1.385	$1.700
May 2024	$1.369	$2.051
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

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.