12/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/11/2024 14:11
24-2551-PHI
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Gasoline prices averaged $3.181 a gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in November 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were down 11 percent compared to last November when they averaged $3.575 per gallon. Philadelphia area households paid an average of 20.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2024, up from 19.4 cents per kWh in November 2023. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.384 per therm in November, compared to $1.357 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)
At $3.181 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Philadelphia area were 4.0 percent below the national average of $3.315 a gallon in November 2024. Over the past five Novembers, gasoline prices in the Philadelphia area have ranged from $4.027 to $2.394. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
Period | United States | Philadelphia |
Nov 2020 |
$2.159 | $2.394 |
Nov 2021 |
$3.576 | $3.583 |
Nov 2022 |
$3.958 | $4.027 |
Nov 2023 |
$3.623 | $3.575 |
Nov 2024 |
$3.315 | $3.181 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
The 20.3 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in November 2024 was 15.3 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 17.6 cents per kWh. Over the past five Novembers, electricity prices in Philadelphia have been at least 10.3 percent above the national average. (See chart 2.)
Period | United States | Philadelphia |
Nov 2020 |
$0.136 | $0.150 |
Nov 2021 |
$0.142 | $0.159 |
Nov 2022 |
$0.163 | $0.183 |
Nov 2023 |
$0.168 | $0.194 |
Nov 2024 |
$0.176 | $0.203 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
Prices paid by Philadelphia area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.384 per therm in November 2024, 6.9 percent below the national average of $1.487 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area last year were 5.9 percent below the national average. Over the past five Novembers, utility (piped) gas prices have ranged from $1.628 to $1.105. (See chart 3.)
Period | United States | Philadelphia |
Nov 2020 |
$1.104 | $1.105 |
Nov 2021 |
$1.401 | $1.192 |
Nov 2022 |
$1.616 | $1.628 |
Nov 2023 |
$1.442 | $1.357 |
Nov 2024 |
$1.487 | $1.384 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Core Based Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.
The Consumer Price Index for December 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
With the publication of January 2025 data in February 2025, several indexes and average price series will be discontinued.
The following CPI indexes will continue to be published at the national level, but will be discontinued for all metropolitan areas, census divisions, and regional size classes:
The following CPI average price series will continue to be published at the national level, but will be discontinued for all metropolitan areas, census divisions, and regional size classes:
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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, November 2023-November 2024, not seasonally adjustedYear and month | Gasoline per gallon | Electricity per kWh | Utility (piped) gas per therm | |||
United States | Philadelphia area | United States | Philadelphia area | United States | Philadelphia area | |
2023 |
||||||
November |
$3.623 | $3.575 | $0.168 | $0.194 | $1.442 | $1.357 |
December |
3.411 | 3.450 | 0.169 | 0.190 | 1.429 | 1.326 |
2024 |
||||||
January |
3.353 | 3.362 | 0.173 | 0.200 | 1.452 | 1.338 |
February |
3.486 | 3.426 | 0.173 | 0.201 | 1.465 | 1.340 |
March |
3.707 | 3.468 | 0.174 | 0.206 | 1.429 | 1.363 |
April |
3.907 | 3.681 | 0.173 | 0.205 | 1.375 | 1.364 |
May |
3.885 | 3.744 | 0.175 | 0.206 | 1.369 | 1.373 |
June |
3.729 | 3.601 | 0.178 | 0.213 | 1.407 | 1.384 |
July |
3.747 | 3.650 | 0.178 | 0.207 | 1.408 | 1.388 |
August |
3.648 | 3.499 | 0.177 | 0.207 | 1.401 | 1.388 |
September |
3.478 | 3.325 | 0.178 | 0.206 | 1.399 | 1.377 |
October |
3.412 | 3.236 | 0.177 | 0.204 | 1.422 | 1.377 |
November |
3.315 | 3.181 | 0.176 | 0.203 | 1.487 | 1.384 |