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News Release Information

17-468-SAN
Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Average Energy Prices, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose – March 2017

Gasoline prices averaged $3.057 a gallon in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area in March 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that area gasoline prices were higher than last March when they averaged $2.618 per gallon. San Francisco area households paid an average of 20.1 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2017, higher than the 19.1 cents per kWh paid in March 2016. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.374 per therm in March was 30.4 cents more than the $1.070 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $3.057 a gallon, San Francisco area consumers paid 28.1 percent more than the $2.386 national average in March 2017. A year earlier, consumers in the San Francisco area paid 29.5 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has ranged from 8.7 to 31.1 percent above the national average in the month of March during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 20.1 cents per kWh San Francisco households paid for electricity in March 2017 was 50.0 percent more than the nationwide average of 13.4 cents per kWh. Last March, electricity costs were 42.5 percent higher in San Francisco compared to the nation. In each of the past five years, prices paid by San Francisco area consumers for electricity exceeded the U.S. average by at least 42.5 percent in the month of March. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by San Francisco area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.374 per therm, or 38.9 percent above the national average in March 2017 ($0.989 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 21.0 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in March in the San Francisco area has varied between 8.8 percent and 39.9 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Calif. metropolitan area consists of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma Counties in California.
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, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose and the United States, March 2016-March 2017, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
San Francisco areaUnited StatesSan Francisco areaUnited StatesSan Francisco areaUnited States
2016      

March

$2.618$2.021$0.191$0.134$1.070$0.884

April

2.7692.1960.1900.1341.3680.879

May

2.8562.3240.2020.1331.3970.877

June

2.9142.4220.2000.1381.3420.891

July

2.8672.2870.2000.1391.4030.931

August

2.7052.2180.2000.1391.6320.943

September

2.7962.2690.2000.1391.6180.954

October

2.8312.3040.2010.1341.7060.961

November

2.7502.2460.1900.1311.5160.970

December

2.7372.2890.1900.1331.4540.972
2017      

January

2.8482.4090.1890.1341.4241.000

February

2.9062.3600.1890.1351.4141.003

March

3.0572.3860.2010.1341.3740.989

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2017