Googling 'Gas Prices Near Me'? You May be Disappointed

CARS.COM — Motorists in most states paid more to fill their tanks the past week as refineries increasingly switched to more-expensive summer gasoline blends and oil prices continued a recent rebound. The national average for regular gas was $2.40 a gallon on Thursday, up 3 cents from a week ago. The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said that’s the highest since around Labor Day in 2015 — a 19-month stretch.

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Prices climbed by at least 4 cents the past week across the Southeast and Southwest. Over the past two weeks, the average for regular has jumped by 10 cents or more in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia and several other states in the southern half of the country.

Regular dropped by 4 cents in Indiana and a nickel in Michigan, two states that had seen sharp increases the previous two weeks. Prices continued to increase in nearby states, rising 5 cents in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Here’s what’s going on with gas prices elsewhere in the U.S.:

• The statewide average for regular rose 2 cents in California to $3, back to where it was a month ago.
• Hawaii, at $3.06, was the only other state over $3, but regular averaged more than $2.50 in six other states and the District of Columbia.
• South Carolina remained the lowest-price state with an average of $2.14 for regular, followed by Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee at $2.17.
• The national average for premium gas was $2.90, up 3 cents from a week ago, and for diesel fuel it was $2.53, up 2 cents, according to AAA.