Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

20-604-CHI
Thursday, April 16, 2020

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

Average Energy Prices, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin — March 2020

Gasoline prices averaged $2.366 per gallon in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area in March 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that area gasoline prices were down 39.5 cents compared to March 2019 when they averaged $2.761 per gallon. Chicago area households paid an average of 14.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2020, less than the 16.1 cents in March 2019. In March, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was 75.7 cents per therm, less than its average price of 77.2 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

The $2.366 per gallon Chicago households paid for gasoline in March 2020 was more than the nationwide average of $2.334. In the previous four years in March (2016-2019), Chicago area gasoline prices ranged from 7.0 cents to 14.1 cents more than the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 14.3 cents per kWh that Chicago households paid for electricity in March 2020 was 6.7 percent more than the nationwide average cost of 13.4 cents per kWh. Average electricity costs in Chicago were higher than the national average in the previous four years (2016-2019) in March, ranging from 14.9 percent to 19.3 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Chicago area households for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 75.7 cents per therm in March 2020, 26.8 percent less than the national average of $1.034 per therm. In each of the previous four years (2016-2019) in March, Chicago area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 12.3 percent to 26.3 percent less. (See chart 3.)

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, core based statistical area consists of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana; and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.

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 April 2020 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.


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.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, and the United States, March 2019 – March 2020, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
Chicago areaUnited StatesChicago areaUnited StatesChicago areaUnited States

2019

March

$2.761$2.620$0.161$0.135$0.772$1.048

April

3.0662.8940.1650.1350.7601.034

May

3.1662.9630.1610.1360.7781.035

June

2.9942.8140.1610.1390.8121.035

July

3.0952.8360.1570.1400.7991.029

August

2.8632.7160.1640.1390.7921.034

September

2.7962.6940.1610.1390.7561.019

October

2.7332.7410.1660.1360.7671.041

November

2.6762.6870.1410.1330.7641.058

December

2.6382.6520.1410.1330.7601.057

2020

January

2.6822.6310.1450.1340.7721.066

February

2.6292.5300.1490.1340.7701.050

March

2.3662.3340.1430.1340.7571.034

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, April 16, 2020