Utility (Piped) Gas, Electricity, and Gasoline Prices
in the Washington-Baltimore Area, January 2008 (PDF)

Washington-Baltimore area consumers paid more for utility (piped) gas (14.8 percent) and electricity (6.0 percent) than the U.S. city average, while the price of gasoline was similar to the average price charged throughout the country in January 2008 as measured by the Consumer Price Index, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that January 2008 was the first time in 10 years that local electricity users have paid a higher-than-average price for consumption of this commodity in the first month of the year.  On the other hand, the cost of utility (piped) gas in the Washington-Baltimore area has declined in January over the last 2 years, narrowing the gap with the average price nationally from 24.0 percent to 14.8 percent, the smallest differential in the last decade.

A therm—a measure of constant heating value—of utility (piped) gas in the Washington-Baltimore area averaged $1.467 in January 2008 compared with $1.278 in the nation as a whole.  Local area utility (piped) gas prices have been above the national January price levels over the last decade.  (See chart A.) During this 10-year period, the average price per therm in the local area ranged from 42.8 percent above the U.S. average in January 1999 to 14.8 percent higher in January 2008.

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity cost Washington-Baltimore area consumers $0.123 in January 2008, 70.8 percent more than in January 1998.  Nationwide, electricity prices averaged $0.116 in January 2008.  With the exception of January 2008, electricity prices have been below the national January price levels over the last 10 years with the local price remaining at least 10.0 percent lower than the nationwide average over this time period.  (See chart B.)  As mentioned, the average price per kilowatt-hour in the Washington-Baltimore area was 6.0 percent higher than the national average in January 2008; just two years earlier, Washingtonians had paid 23.1 percent less than their U.S. counterparts.

Chart A.  Average prices for utility (piped) gas, United States and Washington-Baltimore area, January 1998-2008

Chart B.  Average prices for electricity, United States and Washington-Baltimore area, January 1998-2008

Chart C.  Average prices for gasoline, United States and Washington-Baltimore area, January 1998-2008

The Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va., Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) includes the District of Columbia; Baltimore City and the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, and Washington in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the counties of Berkeley and Jefferson in West Virginia.

Additional information

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

For personal assistance or further information on the CPI data, as well as other Bureau data, contact the Mid-Atlantic Information Office at 215-597-3282 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.

Technical Information

Average prices for electricity, utility (piped) gas, and gasoline are published monthly for the U.S. city average, the 4 regions, the 3 population size classes, 10 region/size-class cross-classifications, and the 14 largest local index areas.  For electricity, average prices per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and per 500 kWh are published.  For utility (piped) gas, average prices per therm, per 40 therms, and per 100 therms 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.

Price quotes for 40 therms and 100 therms of utility (piped) gas and for 500 kWh of electricity are collected in sample outlets for use in the average price programs only.  Since they are for specified consumption amounts, they are not used in the CPI.  All other price quotes used for average price estimation are regular CPI data.

With the exception of the 40 therms, 100 therms, and 500 kWh price quotes, 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.