Gasoline prices averaged $3.259 per gallon in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area in July 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices were 37.6 percent higher than last July when they averaged $2.369 per gallon. Philadelphia-area households paid an average of 15.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in July 2021, close to the average of 15.5 cents in July 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.124 per therm in July was 3.3 percent higher than its price of $1.088 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.259 per gallon, the price for gasoline in the Philadelphia area was 2.0 percent lower than the national average of $3.326 per gallon in July 2021. From 2017 to 2020, local and national prices for gasoline in July differed by 5.6 percent or less. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

The 15.6 cents per kWh that Philadelphia households paid for electricity in July 2021 was 9.1 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 14.3 cents per kWh. Last July, electricity prices in Philadelphia were 13.1 percent higher than the nation. From 2017 to 2019, prices paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for electricity in July were higher than the U.S. average by 7.0 percent or more. (See chart 2.)

The price paid by Philadelphia-area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.124 per therm in July 2021, 9.4 percent lower than the national average of $1.241 per therm. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Philadelphia area were above the national average in July for the previous four years, ranging from 3.2 to 16.5 percent higher. (See chart 3.)

The Consumer Price Index for August 2021 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

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.

 Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, United States and the Philadelphia area, July 2020-July 2021, not seasonally adjusted

Year and Month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Philadelphia	United States	Philadelphia	United States	Philadelphia	United States
2020
July	$2.369	$2.243	$0.155	$0.137	$1.088	$1.027
August	2.369	2.245	0.154	0.137	1.087	1.031
September	2.422	2.260	0.153	0.137	1.090	1.064
October	2.421	2.228	0.151	0.135	1.095	1.067
November	2.394	2.159	0.150	0.136	1.105	1.104
December	2.547	2.235	0.153	0.136	1.093	1.114
2021
January	2.685	2.391	0.154	0.136	1.100	1.119
February	2.782	2.559	0.153	0.137	1.096	1.124
March	2.989	2.856	0.152	0.138	1.095	1.144
April	2.929	2.907	0.153	0.139	1.082	1.166
May	3.093	3.041	0.152	0.140	1.082	1.201
June	3.193	3.245	0.155	0.142	1.077	1.219
July	3.259	3.326	0.156	0.143	1.124	1.241