After weeks of increases, and in the middle of the economic certainty due to market volatility, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas fell to $3.246 on Tuesday, according to AAA.
This was a greater than two-cent drop from Friday when the cost of regular gas was $3.268 per gallon. It marked the second consecutive weekday of decreases at the pumps. Despite the recent drop, gas prices are still more expensive than a week ago, when a gallon of regular gas was $3.201.
It’s also costlier to fill up at the pumps now than a month ago when fuel costs were $3.095 per gallon. It is, however, less expensive now to get gas than a year ago, when the national average price for a gallon of regular gas cost drivers $3.598 per gallon.
Fuel costs are always an integral part of the nation’s political discourse. When prices are higher, people are upset. When costs are lower, the citizens are happy. Gas prices tend to fluctuate quite a bit, and this year is no different. The economic stability of fuel seems to be a thing of the past. The year began with the anticipation of potentially breaking the $3-per-gallon threshold that has existed since June 2022, when President Joe Biden was in office.
During the first few days of January, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the United States was $3.067. These costs gradually increased during the Biden administration’s last days. After President Donald Trump assumed the presidency, fuel costs began to drop almost immediately. Gas prices continued to fall until February when Trump threatened tariffs against Mexico and Canada. Then costs began to rise again.
The national average price for a gallon of regular gas steadily increased throughout the month. In March, costs began to fall again, granting drivers some economic relief at the pumps. This lasted until mid-March when, after the Trump administration bragged about cheaper gas prices, those costs began to increase again. The Trump administration touted lower gas prices in a release on March 17. On March 18, it cost $3.078 per gallon. By March 31, it was $3.168 per gallon. Gas prices rose by 10 cents per gallon less than a week later.
Additionally, fuel costs vary depending on the region and state. The country’s highest gas prices are on the West Coast; the cheapest are in the Gulf states. Mississippi is the state with the lowest gas prices in the nation, at $2.748 per gallon. Oklahoma is the next cheapest, at $2.778, followed by Tennessee at $2.781, and Louisiana at $2.826. South Carolina debuted on Tuesday on the list of the top five states with the lowest gas prices, with a statewide average price of $2.843 per gallon.
California, on the other hand, has a statewide average approaching $5 per gallon, with a hefty fee of $4.948 per gallon. This is 43 cents per gallon more expensive than Hawaii, the next closest state in average gas price. Regular gas costs $4.515 per gallon in the Aloha State. This is followed by Washington (state) at $4.394, Nevada at $4.011, and Oregon at $4.002.