Gasoline prices averaged $2.726 per gallon in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area in March 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that area gasoline prices were 60.9 cents higher than a year ago in March when they averaged $2.117 per gallon. Detroit area households paid an average of 17.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in March 2021, up from the 16.4 cents in March 2020. In March, the average cost of utility (piped) gas was 95.5 cents per therm, more than the average price of 83.5 cents per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $2.726 per gallon, gasoline costs in the Detroit area were 13.0 cents lower than the national average of $2.856 per gallon in March 2021. In the previous four years, in March (2017-20), gasoline prices in the Detroit area ranged from 21.7 cents less than the national average to 7.5 cents more. (See chart 1.)

The 17.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) that Detroit area households paid for electricity in March 2021 was 26.8 percent more than the nationwide average cost of 13.8 cents per kWh. In the prior four years in March (2017-2020), Detroit area electricity costs exceeded the national average, ranging from 8.9 percent to 22.4 percent more. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Detroit area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were 95.5 cents per therm in March 2021, 16.5 percent below the national average of $1.144 per therm. In the previous four years (2017-2020) in March, Detroit area utility (piped) gas costs were lower than the national average, ranging from 19.2 percent to 28.2 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 April 2021 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, May 12, 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, March 2020 – March 2021, 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
2020
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
December	2.076	2.235	0.173	0.136	0.957	1.114
2021
January	2.219	2.391	0.175	0.136	0.950	1.119
February	2.437	2.559	0.175	0.137	0.940	1.124
March	2.726	2.856	0.175	0.138	0.955	1.144