Gasoline prices averaged $2.532 a gallon in the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area in June 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were down 28.9 cents compared to June 2015 when they averaged $2.821 per gallon. Cleveland area households paid an average of 13.0 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in June 2016, 13.9 percent lower than the 15.1 cents per kWh paid in June 2015. Utility (piped) gas averaged 51.6 cents per therm in June, down from its average price of 59.6 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.532 a gallon, costs for gasoline in the Cleveland area were 11 cents higher than the national average of $2.422 in June 2016. In the previous four years (2012-2015) in June, average gasoline costs in Cleveland exceeded the national average by more than 10 cents two other times (June 2013 and June 2014). (See chart 1.)

The 13.0 cents per kWh Cleveland households paid for electricity in June 2016 was 5.8 percent lower than the nationwide average of 13.8 cents during this same period. In June 2015, electricity costs in the Cleveland area were higher than the national average, by 5.6 percent. However, in the previous three years (2012-2014), in June, costs for electricity in the local area were comparable to the national average. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Cleveland area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, at 51.6 cents per therm, were 42.1 percent below the national average of 89.1 cents per therm in June 2016. Utility (piped) gas prices in the Cleveland area had been lower than the national average in the prior four years (2012-2015) in June, ranging from 20.9 percent lower in 2013 to 36.7 percent in 2015. (See chart 3.)

The Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, Ohio, Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit Counties in Ohio.

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 July 2016 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, August 16, 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 in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Cleveland-Akron-Lorain and the United States, June 2015 – June 2016, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Cleveland area	United States	Cleveland area	United States	Cleveland area	United States
2015
June	$2.821	$2.889	$0.151	$0.143	$0.596	$0.942
July	2.695	2.893	0.146	0.142	0.620	0.933
August	2.566	2.745	0.146	0.142	0.601	0.932
September	2.345	2.463	0.130	0.141	0.587	0.921
October	2.432	2.357	0.133	0.136	0.566	0.909
November	2.252	2.249	0.131	0.134	0.550	0.903
December	1.950	2.125	0.134	0.133	0.509	0.892
2016
January	1.909	2.034	0.138	0.134	0.529	0.898
February	1.666	1.833	0.138	0.134	0.539	0.895
March	1.980	2.021	0.139	0.134	0.519	0.884
April	2.136	2.196	0.139	0.134	0.487	0.879
May	2.368	2.324	0.139	0.133	0.503	0.877
June	2.532	2.422	0.130	0.138	0.516	0.891