After Long Slide, Gas Prices Stop the Drop
CARS.COM — After weeks of dropping like the season’s temperature, the national average price of regular gas finally steadied. Fractions of a penny separated last week from this as the price of regular held at $2.46 early on Thursday, ending a six-week streak of lower prices at the pump.
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Where were prices at their best — or worst? According to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report, it was a lot of the usual suspects:
- South Carolina had the lowest average price for regular at $2.20, followed by Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi at $2.21.
- Hawaii had the most expensive gas, with regular averaging $3.12. Alaska was next at $3.05, followed by California at $3.03.
- It’s worth pointing out that California could soon have the highest prices because a minimum 12-cent increase in the state gasoline tax is scheduled to take effect Nov. 1.
Regionally, prices continued to fall throughout the Southeast but took sizable jumps in the Great Lakes states, where refinery maintenance crimped the supply of gasoline to some areas. Regular jumped by 8 cents in Illinois, 12 cents in Ohio and 16 cents in Indiana; at $2.48, the average for regular in Ohio on Thursday was 18 cents higher than two weeks ago.
In contrast, prices fell by 3 to 4 cents in most Southeastern states. Over the past four weeks, regular has dropped by 23 cents in Alabama, 25 cents in South Carolina and 27 cents in Georgia.
The national average for premium gas was unchanged from a week ago at $2.99, and diesel fuel was up a penny at $2.74. Whatever the grade of fuel, minimal changes mean you can keep taking all those extra stops to your Uber route for a minimal hit to your gas bill.
