Boston-area drivers paid slightly less than the national average for gasoline in April, but that’s the case as costs for other energy sources — electricity and natural gas — remained well above the U.S. average, new federal data show.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said broad-based energy prices in the Northeast rose 1.3 percent for April and 1.2 percent year over year in April 2024. Prices overall rose 0.4 percent in April, the BLS said.
Gas prices averaged just over $3.61 per gallon in the Boston area in April, up from last April’s average price of about $3.53 per gallon but 7.5 percent below the national average of About $3.91 per gallon. The average price of a gallon of gas in April has fluctuated significantly over the past five years, ranging from $2.15 to $4.23, the BLS said.
Boston-area households paid an average of 29.7 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in April, down from 34.1 cents per kWh in April 2023. Although lower than a year ago, Boston-area residents still paid an average Price 71.7 percent higher The average cost nationwide is 17.3 cents per kilowatt hour, the BLS said. Boston area electricity rates have exceeded the national average by at least 71.2 percent in April each year for the past five years.The federal agency said.
The average cost of natural gas to utilities was $2,153 per heat in April, up from $1,996 per heat one year earlier. The BLS said the local cost of natural gas was 56.6 percent higher than the national average of $1,375 per heat last month. Over the past five years, April natural gas prices have ranged from $1,471 to $2,153 per heat.
