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News Release Information

15-2029-ATL
Thursday, October 15, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Average Energy Prices, Atlanta – September 2015

Gasoline prices averaged $2.246 a gallon in the Atlanta area in September 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that area gasoline prices were $1.16 lower than last September when they averaged $3.406 per gallon. Atlanta area households paid an average of 15.0 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in September 2015, similar to the 14.8 cents per kWh paid in September 2014. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.427 per therm was less than the $1.552 per therm spent last year. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Atlanta area consumers paid $2.246 a gallon for gasoline in September 2015, 8.8 percent lower than the $2.463 paid nationally. A year earlier, consumers in the Atlanta area paid a similar price to the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of gasoline has been similar to the national average in the month of September in four of the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 15.0 cents per kWh Atlanta households paid for electricity in September was 6.4 percent more than the nationwide average of 14.1 cents per kWh. Last September, electricity costs in Atlanta were also greater than those paid for the nation. In four of the past five years, prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for electricity exceeded the U.S. average by at least 5 percent. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.427 per therm, or 54.9 percent higher than the national average in September 2015 ($0.921 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 46.7 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in September for Atlanta households was at least 35 percent more than the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Atlanta, Ga., Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties in Georgia.

The Consumer Price Index for October 2015 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 17, 2015.


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 from 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, Atlanta and the United States, September 2014-2015, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
Atlanta areaUnited StatesAtlanta areaUnited StatesAtlanta areaUnited States

2014

      

September

3.4063.4630.1480.1411.5521.058

October

3.2223.2410.1150.1361.5491.033

November

2.8182.9450.1110.1341.5141.035

December

2.4932.6180.1110.1351.5611.060

2015

      

January

2.0732.1700.1130.1381.4841.036

February

2.1522.3080.1130.1381.4631.007

March

2.2462.5440.1130.1361.4550.985

April

2.2952.5450.1130.1371.4260.947

May

2.6092.8320.1180.1371.4220.930

June

2.8012.8890.1500.1431.4440.942

July

2.6892.8930.1490.1421.4440.933

August

2.5042.7450.1490.1421.4480.932

September

2.2462.4630.1500.1411.4270.921

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, October 15, 2015