| Internet: www.bls.gov/ro5/ | FOR RELEASE: |
| GENERAL INFORMATION: (312) 353-1880 | Tuesday, August 11, 2009 |
| MEDIA CONTACT: Paul LaPorte | |
| (312) 353-1138 |
Chicago area consumers paid more for gasoline (6.8 percent) than the U.S. city average in June 2009. Electricity prices were 4.5 percent above the national average in June while the price of utility (piped) gas was 28.3 percent below the average price for the nation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Regional Commissioner Jay A. Mousa noted that although the Chicago area’s average gasoline price fell sharply since June 2008, local consumers typically paid more than the national average over the last decade. For utility (piped) gas, the below-average percent difference in the local price compared to the nation (-28.3 percent) was among the largest recorded since 1999. (See table A.)
| Year | Gasoline per gallon | Electricity per kWh | Utility (piped) gas per therm | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Chicago | Percent difference | United States | Chicago | Percent difference | United States | Chicago | Percent difference | |
1999 |
$1.204 | $1.260 | 4.7 | $0.089 | $0.111 | 24.7 | $0.667 | $0.478 | -28.3 |
2000 |
1.666 | 2.175 | 30.6 | 0.090 | 0.111 | 23.3 | 0.781 | 0.672 | -14.0 |
2001 |
1.731 | 1.875 | 8.3 | 0.097 | 0.114 | 17.5 | 0.937 | 0.804 | -14.2 |
2002 |
1.489 | 1.617 | 8.6 | 0.095 | 0.109 | 14.7 | 0.771 | 0.719 | -6.7 |
2003 |
1.558 | 1.655 | 6.2 | 0.097 | 0.108 | 11.3 | 0.992 | 0.945 | -4.7 |
2004 |
2.083 | 2.070 | -0.6 | 0.099 | 0.109 | 10.1 | 1.047 | 0.996 | -4.9 |
2005 |
2.218 | 2.251 | 1.5 | 0.104 | 0.108 | 3.8 | 1.124 | 1.018 | -9.4 |
2006 |
2.963 | 3.029 | 2.2 | 0.118 | 0.109 | -7.6 | 1.210 | 0.905 | -25.2 |
2007 |
3.100 | 3.419 | 10.3 | 0.122 | 0.131 | 7.4 | 1.299 | 1.174 | -9.6 |
2008 |
4.115 | 4.217 | 2.5 | 0.128 | 0.140 | 9.4 | 1.578 | 1.580 | 0.1 |
2009 |
2.681 | 2.862 | 6.8 | 0.132 | 0.138 | 4.5 | 1.060 | 0.760 | -28.3 |
In June 2009, the average price of a gallon of gas in the Chicago area was $2.862, down $1.355 or 32.1 percent over the year. The average price of a gallon of gas in the Chicago area was at its lowest June level since 2005 when prices at the pump were $2.251. Nationally, a similar trend can be observed with gasoline prices falling 34.8 percent from June a year ago. In the 1999-2009 period, the cost of gasoline in the Chicago area has typically tracked higher than the national average in June. The largest differences were experienced in June 2000 and 2007 when Chicago area consumers paid 30.6 and 10.3 percent more for a gallon of gasoline than the U.S. average, respectively. (See chart B.)
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity cost Chicago area consumers $0.138 in June 2009, 1.4 percent lower than one year earlier and 24.3 percent higher than in 1999. Nationwide, electricity prices averaged $0.132 in June 2009, increasing 3.1 percent over the year and 48.3 percent over the past ten years. In 1999, electricity prices were 24.7 percent higher in Chicago than in the United States, but by June 2009, the difference dropped to 4.5 percent. (See chart A.)
A therm—a measure of constant heating value—of utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, in the Chicago area averaged $0.760 in June 2009. Locally, natural gas prices were down 51.9 percent from June 2008, the largest decline in June for this series since its inception in 1979. Except for 2008, local consumers paid below-average prices for natural gas during the 1999-2009 period. Nationwide, natural gas cost 32.8 percent less in June 2009 than it did one year earlier. (See chart C.)
Chart A. Average prices for gasoline, United States and Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area, June 1999-2009
Chart B. Average prices for electricity, United States and Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area, June 1999-2009
Chart C. Average prices for utility (piped) gas, United States and Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area, June 1999-2009
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.
Additional information
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.
Last Modified Date: August 12, 2009
