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News Release Information

16-2330-NEW
Thursday, December 15, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Average Energy Prices, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island – November 2016

Gasoline prices averaged $2.388 per gallon in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area in November 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that gasoline prices were up $0.142 compared to last November when area households paid $2.246 per gallon. Electricity prices averaged 17.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), down from the 18.6 cents per kWh paid in November 2015. The average price of utility (piped) gas, at $1.003 per therm, was more than last November’s price of $0.934. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.388 a gallon, the price of gasoline in the New York area was 6.3 percent more than the $2.246 national average in November 2016. A year earlier, consumers in the New York area paid $2.246, similar to the national average of $2.249. For the past five years, the local price of a gallon of gasoline has been within 11 percent of the national average in the month of November. (See chart 1.)

The 17.8 cents per kWh New York households paid for electricity in November 2016 was 36 percent more than the national average of 13.1 cents per kWh. From 2012 to 2015, local area electricity prices in November exceeded the nationwide average by as much as 48 percent. (See chart 2.) 

The average price paid in November 2016 by New York area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.003 per therm, compared to the national average of $0.970. In 2015, area consumers also paid close to the national average for a therm of natural gas. From 2012 to 2014, the per-therm cost for natural gas in November differed from the national average by at least 8 percent and as much as 21 percent. (See chart 3.) 

The New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Conn.-Pa. Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) consists of Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties in New York State; Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren Counties in New Jersey; Fairfield County and parts of Litchfield, Middlesex, and New Haven Counties in Connecticut; and Pike County in Pennsylvania.

The Consumer Price Index for December 2016 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 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, 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, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island and the United States, November 2015 – November 2016, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
New YorkUnited StatesNew YorkUnited StatesNew YorkUnited States

2015

 

November

$2.246$2.249$0.186$0.134$0.934$0.903

December

2.1772.1250.1820.1330.8650.892

2016

 

January

2.0482.0340.1860.1340.8810.898

February

1.9041.8330.1820.1340.8680.895

March

1.9322.0210.1870.1340.9630.884

April

2.1722.1960.1880.1340.9650.879

May

2.3262.3240.1770.1330.8980.877

June

2.3792.4220.1900.1380.9990.891

July

2.3082.2870.1910.1391.0110.931

August

2.2152.2180.1910.1390.9430.943

September

2.2322.2690.1910.1390.9880.954

October

2.2692.3040.1790.1340.9730.961

November

2.3882.2460.1780.1311.0030.970

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, December 15, 2016