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News Release Information

18-608-SAN
Monday, April 16, 2018

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

Average Energy Prices, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim – March 2018

Gasoline prices averaged $3.469 a gallon in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area in March 2018, 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 $3.011 per gallon. Los Angeles area households paid an average of 18.1 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2018, similar to the 18.4 cents per kWh paid in March 2017. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.096 per therm in March was lower than the $1.156 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $3.469 a gallon, Los Angeles area consumers paid 31.9 percent more than the $2.631 national average in March 2018. A year earlier, consumers in the Los Angeles area paid 26.2 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has ranged from 12.7 to 35.2 percent above the national average in the month of March during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 18.1 cents per kWh Los Angeles households paid for electricity in March 2018 was 34.1 percent more than the nationwide average of 13.5 cents per kWh. Last March, electricity costs were 37.3 percent higher in Los Angeles compared to the nation. In the past five years, prices paid by Los Angeles area consumers for electricity exceeded the U.S. average by 34.1 percent or more in the month of March. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Los Angeles area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.096 per therm, or 4.0 percent more compared to the national average in March 2017 ($1.054 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 16.9 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the Los Angeles area over the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in March has varied between 4.0 and 25.3 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area consists of Los Angeles and Orange 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, 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, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and the United States, March 2017-March 2018, not seasonally adjusted
 Gasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
Los Angeles areaUnited StatesLos Angeles areaUnited StatesLos Angeles areaUnited States
2017      

March

$3.011$2.386$0.184$0.134$1.156$0.989

April

3.0032.4790.1860.1351.1501.000

May

2.9972.4480.1860.1371.3441.036

June

2.9472.4000.1780.1421.3621.040

July

2.8692.3440.1780.1431.3251.031

August

2.9552.4360.1780.1421.3231.027

September

3.1182.6880.1780.1421.3081.018

October

3.0172.5450.1870.1371.2901.020

November

3.1932.6080.1860.1361.1151.028

December

3.0782.5210.1870.1361.1541.042
2018      

January

3.2602.5960.1810.1351.1041.048

February

3.4022.6320.1810.1351.1481.077

March

3.4692.6310.1810.1351.0961.054

 

Last Modified Date: Monday, April 16, 2018