Gas Prices Fall Nationwide But Remain High in Western U.S.

The national average price of gasoline was $3.47 per gallon on Monday, Sept. 24, according to AAA’s latest Fuel Gauge Report. Although prices have fallen nationwide recently, five cents since last week and seven cents compared with a month ago, prices remain high in some states in the Western U.S. due to refinery issues in California, AAA stated.

On a regional basis, drivers in every state in the U.S. and in D.C. are paying less for gasoline at this time than they did a year ago, according to AAA. In three Western states, including Calif., Nev., and Wash., gasoline prices have gone up during the last two weeks due to refinery issues and subsequent regional supply impact concerns, but prices have fallen as those supply concerns have eased, AAA stated. East of the Rocky Mountains, the start of the shift to winter-blend gasoline has reduced prices, but recent planned and unplanned maintenance at regional refineries in Mich., Ind., and Ohio have driven up prices in those states recently.

In 11 states, primarily in the Midwest and South, prices have fallen by 10 cents or more, including Mo. and Minn., where prices have fallen by 20 cents during the past two weeks, according to AAA.

Looking ahead, AAA expects retail prices to keep falling over the next few months due to adequate supplies, flat demand, and the shift to winter-blend gasoline, barring a hurricane or other disruption to gasoline supply and distribution.

Regarding oil prices, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil has stayed above $100 per barrel but is down from the high of $110.10 on August 28, according to AAA.

The chart below shows the top 10 most and least expensive average gas prices on a state-by-state basis.