Gasoline prices averaged $2.927 per gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in May 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were $1.127 higher than a year ago in May when they averaged $1.800 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 17.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2021, comparable to the 17.2 cents in May 2020. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.927 per gallon, gasoline costs in the Detroit area were 11.4 cents below the national average of $3.041 per gallon in May 2021. In the previous two years in May (2019 and 2020), gasoline prices in Detroit were 11.3 cents and 14.6 cents less than the national average, respectively. (See chart 1.)

The 17.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) that Detroit area households paid for electricity in May 2021 was 25.0 percent more than the nationwide average cost of 14.0 cents per kWh. In the prior four years in May (2017-2020), Detroit area electricity costs exceeded the national average, ranging from 11.0 percent to 28.4 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, core based statistical area covered in this release is comprised of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, 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 June 2021 is scheduled to be released Tuesday July 13, 2021.

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 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-Warren-Dearborn, MI, and the United States, May 2020 – May 2021, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Detroit area	United States	Detroit area	United States	Detroit area	United States
2020
May	$1.800	$1.946	$0.172	$0.134	$0.846	$1.037
June	2.083	2.141	0.175	0.137	0.862	1.037
July	2.222	2.243	0.175	0.137	0.857	1.027
August	2.189	2.245	0.175	0.137	0.864	1.031
September	2.067	2.260	0.180	0.137	0.890	1.064
October	2.079	2.228	0.181	0.135	0.962	1.067
November	1.982	2.159	0.173	0.136	0.954	1.104
December	2.076	2.235	0.173	0.136	0.957	1.114
2021
January	2.219	2.391	0.175	0.136	0.950	1.119
February	2.437	2.559	0.175	0.137	0.940	1.124
March	2.726	2.856	0.175	0.138	0.955	1.144
April	2.778	2.907	0.175	0.139	0.964	1.166
May	2.927	3.041	0.175	0.140	–	1.201
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.