Gasoline prices averaged $3.625 per gallon in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area in November 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that gasoline prices were up $1.416 from last November, when area households paid $2.209 per gallon. Electricity prices averaged 20.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), up from the 20.1 cents per kWh paid in November 2020. The average price of utility (piped) gas, at $1.447 per therm, was greater than last November’s price of $1.259. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.625 a gallon, the price of gasoline in the New York area was close to the $3.576 national average in November 2021. One year earlier, gas prices in the New York area were similar to the national average. The local price of a gallon of gasoline in November has been close to the national average four of the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 20.7 cents per kWh New York area households paid for electricity in November 2021 was 45.8 percent more than the national average of 14.2 cents per kWh. Last November, electricity prices were 47.8 percent higher in the New York area compared to the nation. Over the past five years, electricity prices for local area consumers in November were 44.8 to 48.1 percent more than the national average. (See chart 2.)

The average price paid in November 2021 by New York area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.447 per therm, close to the national average of $1.401. In November 2020, area consumers paid 14.0 percent more than the national average. From 2017 to 2020, November natural gas prices have ranged from 12.6 to 20.2 percent above the national average. (See chart 3.)

The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, Core Based Statistical Area includes Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties in New York; Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties in New Jersey; and Pike County in Pennsylvania.

The Consumer Price Index for December 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 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, 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, the United States and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, November 2020–November 2021, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	New York area	United States	New York area	United States	New York area
2020
November	$2.159	$2.209	$0.136	$0.201	$1.104	$1.259
December	2.235	2.285	0.136	0.211	1.114	1.249
2021
January	2.391	2.446	0.136	0.213	1.119	1.282
February	2.559	2.612	0.137	0.219	1.124	1.321
March	2.856	2.870	0.138	0.188	1.144	1.310
April	2.907	2.911	0.139	0.208	1.166	1.276
May	3.041	3.038	0.140	0.214	1.201	1.250
June	3.245	3.202	0.142	0.222	1.219	1.289
July	3.326	3.286	0.143	0.216	1.241	1.311
August	3.351	3.314	0.144	0.226	1.267	1.321
September	3.361	3.349	0.144	0.222	1.302	1.371
October	3.477	3.488	0.142	0.214	1.383	1.426
November	3.576	3.625	0.142	0.207	1.401	1.447