BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

11/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/18/2024 10:34

Average Energy Prices, Los Angeles Long Beach Anaheim – October 2024

News Release Information

24-2371-SAN
Monday, November 18, 2024

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  • (415) 625-2270

Average Energy Prices, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim - October 2024

Gasoline prices averaged $4.600 a gallon in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area in October 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that area gasoline prices were lower than last October when they averaged $5.789 per gallon. Los Angeles area households paid an average of 28.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in October 2024, similar to the 28.7 cents price per kWh paid in October 2023. The average cost of utility (piped) gas at $1.700 per therm in October was similar to the $1.699 per therm spent last year. (Data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year-analysis is used throughout.)

At $4.600 a gallon, Los Angeles area consumers paid 34.8 percent more than the $3.412 national average in October 2024. A year earlier, consumers in the Los Angeles area paid 48.1 percent more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. The local price of a gallon of gasoline has ranged from 30.1 percent to 48.1 percent above the national average in the month of October during the past five years. (See chart 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Average prices for gasoline, the United States and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 2020-24 (as of October)
Period United States Los Angeles

Oct 2020

$2.228 $3.138

Oct 2021

$3.477 $4.524

Oct 2022

$4.130 $6.102

Oct 2023

$3.910 $5.789

Oct 2024

$3.412 $4.600

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 28.6 cents per kWh Los Angeles households paid for electricity in October 2024 was 61.6 percent more than the nationwide average of 17.7 cents per kWh. Last October, electricity costs were 69.8 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 54.1 percent or more in the month of October. (See chart 2.)

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Average prices for electricity, the United States and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 2020-24 (as of October)
Period United States Los Angeles

Oct 2020

$0.135 $0.208

Oct 2021

$0.142 $0.239

Oct 2022

$0.166 $0.260

Oct 2023

$0.169 $0.287

Oct 2024

$0.177 $0.286

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prices paid by Los Angeles area consumers for utility (piped) gas, commonly referred to as natural gas, were $1.700 per therm, 19.5 percent more than the national average in October 2024 ($1.422 per therm). A year earlier, area consumers paid 22.4 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 October has varied between 14.0 percent and 38.5 percent above the U.S. average. (See chart 3.)

View Chart Data
Chart 3. Average prices for utility (piped) gas, the United States and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 2020-24 (as of October)
Period United States Los Angeles

Oct 2020

$1.067 $1.478

Oct 2021

$1.383 $1.796

Oct 2022

$1.668 $1.902

Oct 2023

$1.388 $1.699

Oct 2024

$1.422 $1.700

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area consists of Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California.

The Consumer Price Index for November 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 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, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Average prices for gasoline, electricity, and utility (piped) gas, the United States and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, October 2023-October 2024, not seasonally adjusted
Year and month Gasoline per gallon Electricity per kWh Utility (piped) gas per therm
United States Los Angeles area United States Los Angeles area United States Los Angeles area

2023

October

$3.910 $5.789 $0.169 $0.287 $1.388 $1.699

November

3.623 5.156 0.168 0.287 1.442 1.827

December

3.411 4.814 0.169 0.288 1.429 1.604

2024

January

3.353 4.676 0.173 0.285 1.452 1.630

February

3.486 4.820 0.173 0.285 1.465 1.679

March

3.707 5.036 0.174 0.291 1.429 1.688

April

3.907 5.398 0.173 0.287 1.375 1.434

May

3.885 5.246 0.175 0.286 1.369 1.559

June

3.729 4.890 0.178 0.277 1.407 1.574

July

3.747 4.744 0.178 0.282 1.408 1.628

August

3.648 4.616 0.177 0.282 1.401 1.630

September

3.478 4.626 0.178 0.282 1.399 1.625

October

3.412 4.600 0.177 0.286 1.422 1.700