Gasoline prices averaged $1.982 per gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in November 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were 55.9 cents lower than a year ago in November when they averaged $2.541 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 17.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in November 2020, while the average cost of utility (piped) gas was 95.4 cents per therm, higher than the average price of 87.5 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $1.982 per gallon, gasoline costs in the Detroit area were 17.7 cents lower than the national average of $2.159 per gallon in November 2020. In the previous four years in November (2016-19), gasoline prices in the Detroit area ranged from 14.6 cents less than the national average to 12.1 cents more. (See chart 1.)

The 17.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) that Detroit area households paid for electricity in November 2020 was 27.2 percent more than the nationwide average cost of 13.6 cents per kWh. For the month of November in years 2016-2018, Detroit area electricity costs exceeded the national average, ranging from 11.9 percent to 26.7 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 95.4 cents per therm in November 2020, 13.6 percent below the national average of $1.104 per therm. In the previous four years (2016-2019) in November, Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 14.9 percent to 25.1 percent less. (See chart 3.)

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, core based statistical area covered in this release is comprised of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne Counties in Michigan.

Historical average energy prices for the U.S. and select metropolitan areas are available at www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/data/averageenergyprices_selectedareas_table.htm.

The Consumer Price Index for December 2020 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, January 13, 2021.

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 from this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200, Federal Relay Services: 800-877-8339.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, and the United States, November 2019 – November 2020, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	Detroit area	United States	Detroit area	United States	Detroit area	United States
2019
November	$2.541	$2.687	–	$0.133	$0.875	$1.058
December	2.574	2.652	0.165	0.133	0.879	1.057
2020
January	2.569	2.631	0.163	0.134	0.886	1.066
February	2.382	2.530	0.164	0.134	0.877	1.050
March	2.117	2.334	0.164	0.134	0.835	1.034
April	1.548	1.946	0.164	0.133	0.831	1.028
May	1.800	1.946	0.172	0.134	0.846	1.037
June	2.083	2.141	0.175	0.137	0.862	1.037
July	2.222	2.243	0.175	0.137	0.857	1.027
August	2.189	2.245	0.175	0.137	0.864	1.031
September	2.067	2.260	0.180	0.137	0.890	1.064
October	2.079	2.228	0.181	0.135	0.962	1.067
November	1.982	2.159	0.173	0.136	0.954	1.104
Note: Dash (–) indicates no data available.