AVERAGE ENERGY PRICES IN THE CHICAGO AREA - SEPTEMBER 2010

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Midwest Information Office

For release: Monday, November 1, 2010
BLSInfoChicago@bls.gov
General Information: (312) 353-1880
Media Contact: (312) 353-1138

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AVERAGE ENERGY PRICES IN THE CHICAGO AREA - SEPTEMBER 2010

Chicago area consumers paid 19.7 percent more than the U.S. city average for electricity and 6.2 percent more for gasoline in September 2010 as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Conversely, Chicago area consumers paid 20.5 percent less for utility (piped) gas. Charlene Peiffer, the Bureau's regional commissioner, pointed out that the percentage differentials between the local and national prices for electricity and gasoline widened from a year ago, but utility (piped) gas narrowed. (See table A.) 

Table A. Average prices for electricity, gasoline and utility (piped) gas, United States and Chicago area, September 2009 and September 2010

	September 2009			September 2010
	United States	Chicago area	Percent difference	United States	Chicago area	Percent difference
Electricity (per kWh)	$0.130	$0.141	8.5	$0.132	$0.158	19.7
Gasoline per gallon	$2.626	$2.639	0.5	$2.754	$2.924	6.2
Utility (piped) gas per therm	$1.028	$0.750	-27.0	$1.062	$0.844	-20.5
NOTE: A positive percent difference measures how much the price in the Chicago area is above the national price, while a negative difference reflects a lower price in the Chicago area.

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity cost Chicago area consumers $0.158 in September 2010, 12.1 percent higher than it was one year earlier. Nationwide, electricity prices averaged $0.132 in September 2010, or 1.5 percent higher over the year. While Chicago electricity prices have been higher than the nation since January 2007, electricity price differences were greatest in July and September when prices in the Chicago area exceeded the nation by 2.6 cents per kWh. (See chart 1.)

In September 2010 a gallon of gasoline averaged $2.924 in the Chicago area, 10.8 percent higher than it was one year ago. The area’s rise in the price of gasoline over-the-year was more than double the national trend which saw the average price increase 4.9 percent from $2.626 per gallon in September 2009 to $2.754 in September 2010. The last time gasoline prices in the Chicago area were below the national average was in March 2007. During the first 9 months of 2010, gasoline prices in Chicago have ranged from about 7 cents to 20 cents more than the national average. (See chart 2.)

A therm—a measure of constant heating value—of utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, in the Chicago area averaged $0.844 in September 2010, an increase of 12.5 percent from the previous September. Nationwide, a therm averaged $1.062 in September 2010, up 3.3 percent over the year. With few exceptions over the past five years, Chicago utility (piped) gas prices have remained below national prices. (See chart 3.)

Technical Note

Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) Definition:
The Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI, Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) is comprised of Cook, De Kalb, Du Page, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties, in Illinois; Lake and Porter Counties in Indiana; and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
For personal assistance or further information on CPI data, as well as other Bureau data, contact the Midwest Information Office at 312-353-1880 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Central Time.
Technical Information
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) and per 500 kWh are published. For utility (piped) gas, average prices per therm, per 40 therms, and per 100 therms 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.
Price quotes for 40 therms and 100 therms of utility (piped) gas and for 500 kWh of electricity are collected in sample outlets for use in the average price programs only. Since they are for specified consumption amounts, they are not used in the CPI. All other price quotes used for average price estimation are regular CPI data.
With the exception of the 40 therms, 100 therms, and 500 kWh price quotes, 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.

Table 1. Average prices for electricity, gasoline and utility (piped) gas, United States and Chicago area, September 2009-September 2010, not seasonally adjusted

Year and Month	Electricity per kWh		Gasoline per gallon		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Chicago area	United States	Chicago area	United States	Chicago area
2009
September	0.130	0.141	2.626	2.639	1.028	0.750
October	0.126	0.135	2.613	2.658	1.048	0.784
November	0.124	0.139	2.709	2.792	1.110	0.852
December	0.124	0.134	2.671	2.712	1.105	0.836
2010
January	0.124	0.136	2.779	2.859	1.155	0.990
February	0.123	0.139	2.709	2.781	1.161	1.005
March	0.125	0.139	2.829	2.906	1.137	1.007
April	0.126	0.137	2.906	3.087	1.091	0.862
May	0.127	0.138	2.915	3.115	1.080	0.847
June	0.132	0.154	2.783	2.934	1.084	0.878
July	0.133	0.159	2.783	2.914	1.111	0.966
August	0.133	0.158	2.795	2.907	1.102	0.864
September	0.132	0.158	2.754	2.924	1.062	0.844

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Last Modified Date: November 1 ,2010

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