The following was reported by the American Automobile Association (AAA).
After weeks of little movement, the national average for a gallon of gas increased by about 4 cents since last week to $3.12. Even though the price of crude oil remains below $70 a barrel, prices at the pump are going up as more refineries make the seasonal switch to summer-blend gasoline. Summer-blend gas is less likely to evaporate in warmer temperatures and is more expensive to produce.
The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station stayed the same at 34 cents.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased from 9.18 b/d last week to 8.81. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 241.1 million barrels to 240.6. Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 9.6 million barrels per day.
Thursday, March 20’s national average for a gallon of gas is $3.12, 4 cents lower than a month ago and about 40 cents lower than a year ago.
Oil Market Dynamics
At the close of Wednesday, March 19’s formal trading session, WTI rose 26 cents to settle at $67.16 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories increased by 1.7 million barrels from the previous week. At 437.0 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 5% below the five-year average for this time of year.
Quick Gas and Electricity Stats
Gas
The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($4.64), Hawaii ($4.53), Washington ($4.09), Nevada ($3.74), Oregon ($3.73), Alaska ($3.39), Illinois ($3.38), Arizona ($3.34), Idaho ($3.26) and Pennsylvania ($3.22).
The nation’s top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Mississippi ($2.66), Oklahoma ($2.69), Kentucky ($2.69), Tennessee ($2.69), Louisiana ($2.73), Alabama ($2.74), Texas ($2.76), Arkansas ($2.76), South Carolina ($2.78) and Kansas ($2.80).
Electric
The nation’s top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Hawaii (56 cents), West Virginia (46 cents), Montana (45 cents), South Carolina (42 cents), Tennessee (42 cents), Idaho (42 cents), Alaska (41 cents), Kentucky (40 cents), New Hampshire (40 cents) and Louisiana (39 cents).
The nation’s top 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Kansas (22 cents), Missouri (25 cents), Nebraska (26 cents), Iowa (26 cents), North Dakota (26 cents), Delaware (27 cents), Michigan (29 cents), Texas (39 cents), Utah (29 cents) and Washington, D.C. (30 cents).
Drivers can find current gas and electric charging prices along their route using the AAA TripTik Travel planner.
