Gasoline prices averaged $2.658 per gallon in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area in November 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that gasoline prices were up $0.270 compared to last November when area households paid $2.388 per gallon. Electricity prices averaged 20.0 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), up from the 17.8 cents per kWh paid in November 2016. The average price of utility (piped) gas, at $1.158 per therm, was more than last November’s price of $1.003. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.658 a gallon, the price of gasoline in the New York area was similar to the $2.608 national average in November 2017. A year earlier, consumers in the New York area paid $2.388, 6.3 percent more than the national average of $2.246. In three of the last five years, the local price of a gallon of gasoline has been within 3 percent of the national average in the month of November. (See chart 1.)

The 20.0 cents per kWh New York households paid for electricity in November 2017 was 47 percent more than the national average of 13.6 cents per kWh. Last November, electricity prices were 36 percent higher in New York compared to the nation. In the past five years, electricity charges for local area consumers in November were 36 to 47 percent more than the national average. (See chart 2.)

The average price paid in November 2017 by New York area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.158 per therm, 13 percent more than the national average of $1.028. In 2016, area consumers paid close to the national average for a therm of natural gas. In four of the past five years, the per-therm cost for natural gas in the New York in November was within 10 percent of than the U.S. average.(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 2017 is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 12, 2018 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 2016–November 2017, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	New York	United States	New York	United States	New York	United States
2016
November	$2.388	$2.246	$0.178	$0.131	$1.003	$0.970
December	2.438	2.289	0.192	0.133	1.049	0.972
2017
January	2.542	2.409	0.189	0.134	1.101	1.000
February	2.492	2.360	0.194	0.135	1.130	1.003
March	2.438	2.386	0.192	0.134	1.127	0.989
April	2.516	2.479	0.189	0.135	1.146	1.000
May	2.511	2.448	0.202	0.137	1.136	1.036
June	2.488	2.400	0.208	0.142	1.155	1.040
July	2.441	2.344	0.205	0.143	1.119	1.031
August	2.512	2.436	0.201	0.142	1.096	1.027
September	2.827	2.688	0.203	0.142	1.095	1.018
October	2.652	2.545	0.190	0.137	1.089	1.020
November	2.658	2.608	0.200	0.136	1.158	1.028