Natural gas prices in the U.S. 2008-2023, by sector

Natural gas prices are the highest in the residential sector. In 2023, U.S. households paid an all time high average of 15.2 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic feet. Commercial natural gas costs were second-highest, while prices in the electric power sector were the lowest, at around four U.S. dollars on average. Prices for the industrial and electric power customers tend to be close to the wholesale electricity price. All sectors saw a year-on-year increase in natural gas prices in 2022 due to the decline in U.S. natural gas production in the first quarter of 2022, which resulted in high withdrawals of natural gas from storage and an increase in average natural gas prices. 

The growing natural gas market

In recent years, the average natural gas prices for all sectors have been increasing in the United States. In 2022, the residential sector witnessed an increase in natural gas prices higher than 2008, while natural gas prices for other sectors were still lower despite increases in average natural gas prices for those sectors. Meanwhile, consumption of natural gas has increased more than any other fuel type following the 2008 Recession. Petroleum consumption has been more variable, and use of coal has significantly decreased. The price of coal and crude oil had already been increasing since the early 2000s, and was further exacerbated by the financial crisis. Around the same time, the cost of natural gas dropped significantly, making it a more viable economic alternative compared to other fossil fuels. This decrease was in part the result of drastically increased production of shale gas as a result of hydraulic fracturing and other techniques.