Baltimore-Washington area consumers still pay more for electricity than the average U.S. city, according to federal data released today, but catch a break with fuel prices slightly below the rest of the nation.
Local residents pay 19.4 percent more for utility gas and 9.2 percent more for electricity than the U.S. city average, according to Department of Labor consumer price data.
The gap between local and national electricity prices was the largest divide during July in the last 10 years, Sheila Watkins, regional commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said in a release.
Baltimore-Washington electricity prices were below the national average from July 2001 to July 2006, but have risen 27.7 percent in the last two years. Nationwide, electricity cost 7.4 percent more last month than it did a year ago, and 11 percent more than a year ago, according to the Labor Department.
