BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

01/15/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/15/2025 14:50

Average Energy Prices, Washington Arlington Alexandria – December 2024

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25-66-PHI
Wednesday, January 15, 2025

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Average Energy Prices, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria - December 2024

Gasoline prices averaged $3.157 per gallon in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area in December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that area gasoline prices decreased 4.7 percent from last December when they averaged $3.314 per gallon. Washington-area households paid an average of 16.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in December 2024, 5.1 percent higher than the 15.7 cents in December 2023. The average price of utility (piped) gas at $1.404 per therm in December 2024 compared to $1.378 per therm a year earlier. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

Costs for gasoline in the Washington area were at $3.157 per gallon, similar to the national average of $3.277 a gallon of gasoline in December 2024. From December 2020 to 2023, prices for a gallon of gasoline in Washington ranged from $2.245 to $3.442. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Average prices for gasoline, the United States and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 2020-24 (as of December)
Period United States DC

Dec 2020

$2.235 $2.245

Dec 2021

$3.505 $3.442

Dec 2022

$3.459 $3.389

Dec 2023

$3.411 $3.314

Dec 2024

$3.277 $3.157

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In December 2024, Washington households paid 16.5 cents per kWh for electricity, 6.2 percent below the national average cost of 17.6 cents per kWh. Last December, the price per kWh of electricity in Washington was 15.7 cents per kWh, 7.1 percent below the nationwide average of 16.9 cents. From 2020 to 2022, Washington area electricity prices ranged from 6.6 percent to 7.0 percent below the national average in December. (See chart 2.)

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Average prices for electricity, the United States and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 2020-24 (as of December)
Period United States DC

Dec 2020

$0.136 $0.127

Dec 2021

$0.142 $0.132

Dec 2022

$0.165 $0.154

Dec 2023

$0.169 $0.157

Dec 2024

$0.176 $0.165

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The price paid by Washington area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, was $1.404 per therm in December 2024, 7.8 percent below the nation's $1.522 average. Last December, the price for utility (piped) gas in Washington was $1.378, compared to the national average, $1.429 per therm. From December 2020 to December 2022, Washington area utility (piped) gas prices ranged from $1.147 to $1.730. (See chart 3.)

View Chart Data
Chart 3. Average prices for utility (piped) gas, the United States and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 2020-24 (as of December)
Period United States DC

Dec 2020

$1.114 $1.147

Dec 2021

$1.402 $1.431

Dec 2022

$1.667 $1.730

Dec 2023

$1.429 $1.378

Dec 2024

$1.522 $1.404

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MA-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

The Consumer Price Index for January 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Notice Regarding Ceasing Publication of Utility Indexes

With the publication of January 2025 data in February 2025, several indexes and average price series will be discontinued.

The following CPI indexes will continue to be published at the national level, but will be discontinued for all metropolitan areas, census divisions, and regional size classes:

  • Electricity
  • Utility (piped) gas (often referred to as natural gas)
  • Energy services
  • Fuels and utilities
  • Household energy

The following CPI average price series will continue to be published at the national level, but will be discontinued for all metropolitan areas, census divisions, and regional size classes:

  • Electricity per KWH
  • Utility (piped) gas per therm

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, the 3 population size classes, 10 region/size-class cross-classifications, and the 14 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, December 2023-December 2024, not seasonally adjusted
Year and month Gasoline per gallon Electricity per kWh Utility (piped) gas per therm
United States DC area United States DC area United States DC area

2023

December

$3.411 $3.314 $0.169 $0.157 $1.429 $1.378

2024

January

3.353 3.266 0.173 0.156 1.452 1.480

February

3.486 3.411 0.173 0.156 1.465 1.432

March

3.707 3.608 0.174 0.160 1.429 1.505

April

3.907 3.775 0.173 0.159 1.375 1.361

May

3.885 3.746 0.175 0.160 1.369 1.517

June

3.729 3.673 0.178 0.172 1.407 1.586

July

3.747 3.692 0.178 0.164 1.408 1.567

August

3.648 3.589 0.177 0.167 1.401 1.506

September

3.478 3.360 0.178 0.171 1.399 1.454

October

3.412 3.326 0.177 0.172 1.422 1.454

November

3.315 3.243 0.176 0.166 1.487 1.449

December

3.277 3.157 0.176 0.165 1.522 1.404