Average Energy Prices, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim – May 2021

Gasoline prices averaged $4.055 a gallon in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area in May 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that area gasoline prices were $1.253 higher than last May when they averaged $2.802 per gallon. Los Angeles area households paid an average of 22.0 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in May 2021, higher than the 19.9 cents price per kWh paid in May 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.609 per therm in May was higher than the $1.456 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $4.055 a gallon, Los Angeles area consumers paid 33.3 percent more than the $3.041 national average in May 2021. A year earlier, consumers in the Los Angeles area paid 44.0 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has ranged from 22.4 to 44.0 percent above the national average in the month of May during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

The 22.0 cents per kWh Los Angeles households paid for electricity in May 2021 was 57.1 percent more than the nationwide average of 14.0 cents per kWh. Last May, electricity costs were 48.5 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 32.4 percent or more in the month of May. (See chart 2.)

Prices paid by Los Angeles area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.609 per therm, 34.0 percent more than the national average in May 2021 ($1.201 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 40.4 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 May has varied between 19.0 percent and 40.4 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.

Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
Los Angeles area	United States	Los Angeles area	United States	Los Angeles area	United States
2020
May	$2.802	$1.946	$0.199	$0.134	$1.456	1.037
June	2.967	2.141	0.198	0.137	1.478	1.037
July	3.089	2.243	0.200	0.137	1.471	1.027
August	3.156	2.245	0.200	0.137	1.466	1.031
September	3.180	2.260	0.199	0.137	1.466	1.064
October	3.138	2.228	0.208	0.135	1.478	1.067
November	3.095	2.159	0.208	0.136	1.352	1.104
December	3.120	2.235	0.208	0.136	1.374	1.114
2021
January	3.278	2.391	0.207	0.136	1.409	1.119
February	3.506	2.559	0.219	0.137	1.379	1.124
March	3.784	2.856	0.219	0.138	1.380	1.144
April	3.900	2.907	0.220	0.139	1.331	1.166
May	4.055	3.041	0.220	0.140	1.609	1.201

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