The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline edged higher this week as drivers head into the holiday weekend, according to AAA.
The national average rose to $2.944 per gallon, up from $2.891 one week ago and $2.796 one month ago. Despite the recent increase, prices remain below this time last year, when the national average was $3.149 per gallon.
AAA said drivers may notice the slight uptick as travel demand increases.
New data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows gasoline demand increased last week from 8.15 million barrels per day to 8.30 million barrels per day. Total domestic gasoline supply rose from 257.9 million barrels to 259.1 million barrels, while gasoline production averaged 9.1 million barrels per day.
Oil prices also moved higher. At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate crude rose 67 cents to settle at $64.63 per barrel. The EIA reported that U.S. crude oil inventories increased by 8.5 million barrels to 428.8 million barrels, about 3% below the five-year average for this time of year.
California continues to have the nation’s most expensive average gasoline price at $4.54 per gallon, followed by Hawaii at $4.39 and Washington at $4.08. The least expensive markets include Oklahoma at $2.34, Arkansas and Kansas at $2.48, and Mississippi at $2.49.
For electric vehicle drivers, the national average price per kilowatt hour at a public charging station remains at 38 cents. West Virginia has the highest public charging rate at 52 cents per kilowatt hour, while Kansas has the lowest at 25 cents.
Drivers can find current gas and electric charging prices along their route using AAA’s TripTik Travel planner.
