Average Energy Prices, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue – December 2021

News Release Information

22-77-SAN
Thursday, January 13, 2022

Gasoline prices averaged $4.085 a gallon in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area in December 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that area gasoline prices were $1.438 higher than last December when they averaged $2.647 per gallon. Seattle area households paid an average of 11.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in December 2021, compared to the 11.4 cents per kWh paid in December 2020. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.269 per therm in December was more than the $1.175 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $4.085 a gallon, Seattle area consumers paid 16.5 percent more than the $3.505 national average in December 2021. A year earlier, consumers in the Seattle area paid 18.4 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has been within 26.8 percent of the national average in the month of December during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

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The 11.7 cents per kWh Seattle households paid for electricity in December 2021 was 17.6 percent less than the nationwide average of 14.2 cents per kWh. Last December, electricity costs were 16.2 percent lower in Seattle compared to the nation. In each of the past five years during the month of December, prices paid by Seattle area consumers for electricity were less than the U.S. average by at least 16.2 percent. (See chart 2.)

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Prices paid by Seattle area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.269 per therm, or 9.5 percent below the national average in December 2021 ($1.402 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 5.5 percent more per therm for natural gas compared to the nation. In the past five years, the per therm cost for natural gas in December in the Seattle area has varied between 7.6 percent above and 9.5 percent below the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

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The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. metropolitan area consists of King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties of Washington.

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: [phone]; Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339.

Year and month	Gasoline per gallon		Electricity per kWh		Utility (piped) gas per therm
	United States	Seattle area	United States	Seattle area	United States	Seattle area
2020
December	$2.235	$2.647	$0.136	$0.114	$1.114	$1.175
2021
January	2.391	2.726	0.136	0.114	1.119	1.175
February	2.559	2.871	0.137	0.114	1.124	1.175
March	2.856	3.165	0.138	0.114	1.144	1.175
April	2.907	3.321	0.139	0.116	1.166	1.175
May	3.041	3.448	0.140	0.116	1.201	1.186
June	3.245	3.832	0.142	0.116	1.219	1.186
July	3.326	4.013	0.143	0.117	1.241	1.186
August	3.351	4.077	0.144	0.117	1.267	1.186
September	3.361	4.070	0.144	0.117	1.302	1.187
October	3.477	4.068	0.142	0.116	1.383	1.192
November	3.576	4.090	0.142	0.117	1.401	1.269
December	3.505	4.085	0.142	0.117	1.402	1.269