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News Release Information

15-2387-CHI
Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Average Energy Prices, Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint — November 2015

Gasoline prices averaged $2.339 a gallon in the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area in November 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were down 64.5 cents compared to last November when they averaged $2.984 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 15.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2015, more than the 14.9 cents per kWh paid in November 2014. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at 78.0 cents per therm in November was down from 92.0 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.339 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Detroit area were 4.0 percent higher than the national average of $2.249 a gallon in November 2015. In the previous four years (2011-2014) in November, the price for a gallon of gasoline in the Detroit area had been comparable to the national average.  (See chart 1.)

The 15.6 cents per kWh that Detroit households paid for electricity in November 2015 was 16.4 percent higher than the nationwide average cost of 13.4 cents per kWh. In the previous four years (2011-2014) in November, electricity costs in Detroit were higher by 11.2 percent or more compared to the national average. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 78.0 cents per therm in November 2015, 13.6 percent below the national average of 90.3 cents per therm. Excluding 2011, when utility (piped) gas prices prices were similar to the national average, Detroit’s utility (piped) gas costs were below the national average by 6.3 percent or more in the previous four years (2011-2014) in November. (See chart 3.)

The Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, Mich. consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Genesee, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties in Michigan.

Historical average energy prices for the U.S. and select metropolitan areas are available at www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/data/averageenergyprices_selectedareas_table.htm.

The Consumer Price Index for December 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 20, 2016.


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, 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) 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 from this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200, Federal Relay Services: 800-877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint and the United States, November 2014 – November 2015, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
Detroit areaUnited StatesDetroit areaUnited StatesDetroit areaUnited States

2014

 

November

$2.984$2.945$0.149$0.134$0.920$1.035

December

2.5832.6180.1490.1350.9191.060

2015

 

January

1.9552.1700.1430.1380.9201.036

February

2.2592.3080.1430.1380.8811.007

March

2.4192.5440.1430.1360.8560.985

April

2.4642.5450.1430.1370.7930.947

May

2.6492.8320.1430.1370.7850.930

June

2.8922.8890.1470.1430.7890.942

July

2.9342.8930.1610.1420.7860.933

August

2.8342.7450.1600.1420.7870.932

September

2.4572.4630.1530.1410.7880.921

October

2.5322.3570.1590.1360.7750.909

November

2.3392.2490.1560.1340.7800.903

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2015