Gasoline prices averaged $2.388 a gallon in the Atlanta area in November 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that area gasoline prices were 18.0 cents higher than last November when they averaged $2.208 per gallon. Atlanta area households paid an average of 10.9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2017, similar to that paid in November 2016 (10.8 cents per kWh). The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.585 per therm was more than the $1.479 per therm spent last November. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Atlanta area consumers paid $2.388 a gallon for gasoline in November 2017, less than the $2.608 paid nationally. A year earlier, prices paid for a gallon of gasoline by consumers in Atlanta were similar to the national average. In three of the last five years, the local price of gasoline in Atlanta for the month of November has been at least 4 percent less than the national average. (See chart 1.)

The 10.9 cents per kWh Atlanta households paid for electricity in November was less than the nationwide average (13.6 cents per kWh). Last November, electricity costs in the Atlanta area were 17.6 percent less than the national average (13.1 cents kWh). Prices paid by Atlanta houshoulds for electricity for the month of November have been at least 16 percent lower than the U.S. average in each of the last five years. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Atlanta area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.585 per therm, or 54.2 percent higher than the national average in November 2017 ($1.028 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 52.5 percent more per therm for natural gas than the nation. The per therm cost for natural gas in November for Atlanta households was at least 46 percent more than the U.S. average in each of the last five years. (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 December 2017 is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 12, 2018.

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.

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Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Atlanta and the United States, November 2016–2017, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Atlanta area	United States	Atlanta area	United States	Atlanta area	United States
2016
November	2.208	2.246	0.108	0.131	1.479	0.970
December	2.199	2.289	0.108	0.133	1.531	0.972
2017
January	2.251	2.409	0.108	0.134	1.592	1.000
February	2.186	2.360	0.108	0.135	1.556	1.003
March	2.191	2.386	0.109	0.134	1.530	0.989
April	2.296	2.479	0.109	0.135	1.570	1.000
May	2.197	2.448	0.114	0.137	1.568	1.036
June	2.196	2.400	0.143	0.142	1.577	1.040
July	2.231	2.344	0.143	0.143	1.581	1.031
August	2.276	2.436	0.143	0.142	1.576	1.027
September	2.767	2.688	0.143	0.142	1.581	1.018
October	2.472	2.545	0.113	0.137	1.589	1.020
November	2.388	2.608	0.109	0.136	1.585	1.028