The national average for a gallon of gas is now less than a dime away from dipping below $3 for the first time since May of 2021. But the possible formation of a new hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico could delay or even temporarily reverse the decline in pump prices. Since last week, the national average dropped two cents to $3.08.

“Hurricane Rafael fizzled out, but now we are facing the possible formation of Hurricane Sara,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “Some of the early tracking models have her heading toward Florida by the middle of next week, so stay tuned.” 

AAA tracks the average kilowatt-per-hour cost for all levels of public charging by state. Today's national average for a kilowatt of electricity at a public charging station stayed at 34 cents.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand rose from 8.82 million b/d last week to 9.38. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks fell from 211.3 million barrels to 206.8, while gasoline production increased last week, averaging 10.3 million barrels per day.   

Today’s national average for a gallon of gas is $3.08, 12 cents less than a month ago and 27 cents less than a year ago. 

Oil Market Dynamics

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, WTI rose 31 cents to settle at $68.43 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories increased by 2.1 million barrels from the previous week. At 429.7 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 4% below the five-year average for this time of year.

Quick Gas and Electricity Stats

Gas

The nation’s top10 most expensive gasoline markets areHawaii ($4.58), California ($4.48), Washington ($3.99), Nevada ($3.76), Oregon ($3.56), Alaska ($3.52), Pennsylvania ($3.26), Washington DC ($3.25), Illinois ($3.25), and Idaho ($3.19).

The nation's top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Oklahoma ($2.59), Mississippi ($2.66), Texas ($2.68), Missouri ($2.69), Arkansas ($2.70), Kansas ($2.71), Tennessee ($2.72), Louisiana ($2.76), Alabama ($2.76) and Iowa ($2.78).

Electric

The nation’s top 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Kansas (21 cents), Missouri (24 cents), Nebraska (26 cents), North Dakota (27 cents), Texas (28 cents), Utah (29 cents), Vermont (30 cents,) Washington DC (30 cents), and Michigan (30 cents). 

The nation’s top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Hawaii (56 cents), West Virginia (44 cents), Montana (43 cents), New Hampshire (42 cents), South Carolina (42 cents), Arkansas (41 cents), Kentucky (41 cents), Idaho (41 cents), Alaska (41 cents), and Tennessee (40 cents).

Drivers can find current gas and electric charging prices along their route using the AAA TripTik Travel planner.