California gas prices drop while national prices rise
FILE ART - Woman fills up with gas.
SAN FRANCISCO - California was among the 10 states identified by AAA as those with the largest weekly change in the average for a gallon of regular unleaded.
And while many motorists in the Golden State are used to seeing California on such lists, it may come as a surprise the change was notable because of how much prices dropped, not spiked.
Prices were trending downward as many areas of the country saw their prices swing in the opposite direction.
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On Thursday, the average for a gallon of regular unleaded in California was down $0.07 from a week ago to about $4.65, according to AAA figures.
Places like Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana topped the list, for marking the largest weekly price hikes: $0.28, $0.23, $0.17, and $0.16 respectively.
"Some of the uptick in gasoline prices may be due to a reported storm-related outage at the ExxonMobil refinery in Joliet, Illinois," AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said in a news release. "That’s contributing to higher pump prices in the upper Midwest."
AAA said overall, a drop in oil prices in recent months has helped keep gas prices regulated.
"In April, a barrel of oil was in the upper $80s, but today, it is $10 a barrel cheaper. That might mitigate any upward pressure on pump prices," Gross explained.
The state average of $4.65 was a drop of $0.17 from a month ago. That’s compared with the national average of $3.52, which was up $0.05 from last month.
While California prices were trending lower, they're still almost the highest in the country, only behind Hawaii.
And in the Bay Area, prices tend to be higher than much of the state. Here's a look at the averages around the region:
- Napa: $4.86
- Santa Rosa: $4.90
- San Rafael: $4.74
- Vallejo-Fairfield: $4.67
- Oakland: $4.70
- San Francisco: $4.81
- San Jose: $4.61
(Source: AAA)