Gasoline prices averaged $4.524 a gallon in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area in October 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that area gasoline prices were $1.386 higher than last October when they averaged $3.138 per gallon. Los Angeles area households paid an average of 23.9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in October 2021, higher than the 20.8 cents price per kWh paid in October 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.796 per therm in October was higher than the $1.478 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.) 

At $4.524 a gallon, Los Angeles area consumers paid 30.1 percent more than the $3.477 national average in October 2021. A year earlier, consumers in the Los Angeles area paid 40.8 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has ranged from 18.5 to 51.2 percent above the national average in the month of October during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 23.9 cents per kWh Los Angeles households paid for electricity in October 2021 was 68.3 percent more than the nationwide average of 14.2 cents per kWh. Last October, electricity costs were 54.1 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 35.3 percent or more in the month of October. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Los Angeles area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.796 per therm, 29.9 percent more than the national average in October 2021 ($1.383 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 38.5 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 October has varied between 25.0 percent and 38.5 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, the United States and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, October 2020–October 2021, not seasonally adjusted

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Los Angeles area	United States	Los Angeles area	United States	Los Angeles area
2020
October	$2.228	$3.138	$0.135	$0.208	$1.067	$1.478
November	2.159	3.095	0.136	0.208	1.104	1.352
December	2.235	3.120	0.136	0.208	1.114	1.374
2021
January	2.391	3.278	0.136	0.207	1.119	1.409
February	2.559	3.506	0.137	0.219	1.124	1.379
March	2.856	3.784	0.138	0.219	1.144	1.380
April	2.907	3.900	0.139	0.220	1.166	1.331
May	3.041	4.055	0.140	0.220	1.201	1.609
June	3.245	4.295	0.142	0.218	1.219	1.647
July	3.326	4.384	0.143	0.221	1.241	1.680
August	3.351	4.429	0.144	0.221	1.267	1.705
September	3.361	4.440	0.144	0.222	1.302	1.702
October	3.477	4.524	0.142	0.239	1.383	1.796