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News Release Information

18-1522-SAN
Monday, September 17, 2018

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

Average Energy Prices, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward – August 2018

Gasoline prices averaged $3.764 a gallon in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area in August 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 August when they averaged $3.023 per gallon. San Francisco area households paid an average of 21.1 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in August 2018, similar to the 21.0 cents per kWh paid in August 2017. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.577 per therm in August was similar to the $1.538 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $3.764 a gallon, San Francisco area consumers paid 28.9 percent more than the $2.919 national average in August 2018. A year earlier, consumers in the San Francisco area paid 24.1 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has ranged from 11.7 to 28.9 percent above the national average in the month of August during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 21.1 cents per kWh San Francisco households paid for electricity in August 2018 was 51.8 percent more than the nationwide average of 13.9 cents per kWh. Last August, electricity costs were 47.9 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 43.9 percent in the month of August. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by San Francisco area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.577 per therm, or 49.5 percent above the national average in August 2018 ($1.055 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 49.8 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in August in the San Francisco area has varied between 35.9 percent and 73.1 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif. metropolitan area consists of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo 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, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward and the United States, August 2017-August 2018, not seasonally adjusted
Year and monthGasoline per gallonElectricity per kWhUtility (piped) gas per therm
San Francisco areaUnited StatesSan Francisco areaUnited StatesSan Francisco areaUnited States
2017      

August

$3.023$2.436$0.210$0.142$1.538$1.027

September

3.1902.6880.2100.1421.4841.018

October

3.1112.5450.2100.1371.5251.020

November

3.2302.6080.2040.1361.3381.028

December

3.1642.5210.2040.1361.3721.042
2018      

January

3.3022.5960.2050.1351.3901.048

February

3.4282.6320.2050.1351.4231.077

March

3.4942.6310.2120.1351.3391.054

April

3.6242.7950.2050.1341.6151.044

May

3.7962.9630.2110.1361.5381.050

June

3.8032.9700.2110.1391.4851.042

July

3.7902.9300.2110.1391.5151.038

August

3.7642.9190.2110.1391.5771.055

 

Last Modified Date: Monday, September 17, 2018