Gasoline prices across the United States increased notably over the past week, driven primarily by routine refinery maintenance and the seasonal switch to pricier summer gasoline blends. According to AAA, the average national price for regular unleaded climbed by more than 10 cents, reaching approximately $3.26 per gallon. This marks the first time prices have risen to this level since September, although they remain below last year’s figure of $3.54 at this same point.
The recent rise can be attributed mostly to refinery operations scaling back due to planned, regular maintenance work. In addition, the shift from winter-blend fuel, typically cheaper to produce, to the summertime blends required for environmental regulations has pushed prices higher. Just one month ago, the national average price per gallon stood around $3.09.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) pointed to evolving supply-and-demand factors as additional contributors to current pricing dynamics. Gasoline demand reportedly decreased from 8.64 million to 8.49 million barrels per day over the past week. Meanwhile, total gasoline inventories declined slightly from 239.1 million barrels to 237.6 million barrels. Despite the dip in inventories, gasoline production rose to an average of 9.3 million barrels daily.
Crude oil prices showed similar trends, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude closing higher at $71.71 per barrel, marking an increase of 51 cents. EIA figures indicated an increase of 6.2 million barrels in domestic crude oil stockpiles over the previous week, placing total inventories around 439.8 million barrels. Even with this increase, crude reserves remain approximately 4% lower than the five-year average for this time of year.
For electric vehicle (EV) users, the national average cost at public charging stations remained steady at around 34 cents per kilowatt hour.
At the state level, the highest gasoline prices continue to be observed in California, where drivers currently pay $4.91 per gallon on average. Closely following are Hawaii ($4.52), Washington ($4.30), Nevada ($3.99), and Oregon ($3.93). Other states above the national average include Alaska, Illinois, Arizona, Idaho, and Pennsylvania.
In contrast, states with the lowest gasoline costs per gallon include Mississippi ($2.74), Tennessee ($2.80), Oklahoma ($2.81), Louisiana ($2.82), and Alabama ($2.85). Joining these states with affordable gasoline are Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, South Carolina, and Kentucky, all reporting prices below $2.90 per gallon.
Regarding EV charging costs, Hawaii leads the nation at approximately 56 cents per kilowatt hour. West Virginia (46 cents), Montana (44 cents), and Tennessee and South Carolina (both at 42 cents per kWh) follow closely behind. States offering lower prices include Kansas (22 cents), Missouri (25 cents), Iowa and North Dakota (26 cents each), with Nebraska and Delaware at 27 cents per kilowatt hour. States like Texas, Washington D.C., Utah, and Maryland average around 30 cents per kilowatt hour.
