Gas Prices Volatile Across the Country
Like a confused driver who doesn’t know if he should turn right or left, gas prices can’t seem to decide whether to go up or down.
Over the past week, the national average price for regular unleaded gasoline fell by fractions of a penny for a day or two and then went up by similar amounts the next couple of days. The result is that the national average for regular unleaded was $2.42 Thursday, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, unchanged from a week ago. Premium gas also was unchanged at $2.83, and the average price of diesel fuel fell 3 cents to $2.85.
Related: Gas Prices Level Off
On a regional level, though, prices were more volatile the past week.
AAA said the statewide average in Illinois jumped 23 cents to $2.69 because an ExxonMobil refinery in Joliet, Ill., and a BP refinery in Whiting, Ind., have slowed production and reduced supply. In Chicago, where gasoline taxes are the highest in the state, regular unleaded was going for $3.08 a gallon, the first time it has been above $3 a gallon in months, and the average price for premium was $3.56.
Prices increased an average of 9 cents the past week in Ohio and Wisconsin and 12 cents in Kentucky.
On the West Coast, prices continued to fall as California refineries that had been running at reduced production rates returned to normal levels.
The average for regular unleaded fell 9 cents in California the past week to $3.23. Though that’s still the highest statewide average, it is 21 cents lower than three weeks ago. Hawaii is the only other state where regular unleaded averages more than $3. The average pump price in Hawaii is $3.15.
Prices also fell the past week in Nevada, Oregon and Washington by 4-5 cents per gallon.
The lowest gas prices were in the Southeast. The average price for regular Thursday was $2.16 in Alabama, $2.14 in Tennessee and $2.11 in South Carolina.
The national average price for regular unleaded is 8 cents higher than a month ago but $1.11 lower than a year ago.
Gas prices typically increase this time of year because refineries undergo seasonal maintenance and switch to more expensive summer blends of gasoline. This reduces the supply at pumps at the same time that more drivers take to the roads following the end of winter, boosting demand.
U.S. motorists, though, burn less gasoline today than 10 years ago because they drive more efficient vehicles and drive fewer miles, a study released Wednesday said. The study, conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, said the population grew 8 percent from 2004 to 2013, but the amount of fuel used in cars and light trucks declined 11 percent.
The number of gallons per vehicle decreased 14 percent from 2003, the peak year for consumption on a per-vehicle basis.
