Gas prices dip slightly for second straight week

BALTIMORE, MD—For the second week in a row, the nation’s average price of gasoline has declined, falling 1.0 cent from a week ago to $3.62 per gallon this week, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

The national average is up 2.7 cents from a month ago but 11.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 3.4 cents in the last week and stands at $3.94 per gallon—11 cents lower than one year ago.

“We’ve seen the national average fade slightly again as oil prices have cooled and our spring peak appears to be more confidently behind us,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “While refinery utilization rates last week indicated that there is still some refinery maintenance work to be done, oil prices have helped put downward pressure on gasoline prices, with oil falling below $80 per barrel last week. In addition, a weaker-than-expected jobs report is adding to some concerns that gasoline demand could remain weak through the summer driving season, which is just a few weeks from beginning. With the seasonal factors behind us, looking ahead, we expect gasoline prices to continue cooling alongside diesel prices as we look forward to Memorial Day weekend.”

The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $3.39 per gallon, down 20 cents from last week, followed by $3.29, $3.49, $3.59, and $3.19 rounding out the top five most common prices.

The median U.S. gas price is $3.45 per gallon, down 4 cents from last week and about 17 cents lower than the national average.

The top 10% of stations in the country average $5.07 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $3.06 per gallon.

The states with the lowest average prices: Mississippi ($3.08), Oklahoma ($3.13), Arkansas ($3.14). The states with the highest average prices: California ($5.31), Hawaii ($4.76), and Washington ($4.63).

In the Baltimore metro area, the cheapest gas this week could be found at the following locations:

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