BALTIMORE, MD—After falling for two straight weeks, the nation’s average price of gasoline has increased, rising 1.6 cents from a week ago to $3.79 per gallon this week according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

The national average is down 3.0 cents from a month ago but 11.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 0.9 cents in the last week and stands at $4.426 per gallon, 58.6 cents lower than one year ago.

“The national average hit some road bumps over the last week after starting to decline early in the week. The second half saw the national average rise as gas prices in the Corn Belt started spiking, pulling the average price in the US along with it,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “In addition, the West Coast saw more refinery snags, pushing gas prices higher, and so areas of the West Coast got punched along with the Corn Belt states. Over 10 states saw prices rise by over 10 cents per gallon compared to last week, while some like Iowa and Minnesota have seen average prices spike by over 30 cents per gallon.”

“There is some good news for those in the hardest hit states in the Midwest, however, as gasoline prices should start to level off and even decline by mid-week,” De Haan added. “And with most of the nation switching back to cheaper winter gasoline on Saturday, we should see more price decreases for most of the nation in the weeks ahead, barring further refinery disruptions and hurricane season. Fall tends to bring falling gas prices, and I’m hoping this year won’t be any different.”

The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $3.59 per gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $3.69, $3.49, $3.39, and $3.79 rounding out the top five most common prices. The median U.S. gas price is $3.60 per gallon, up 1 cent from last week and about 19 cents lower than the national average. The top 10% of stations in the country average $5.24 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $3.18 per gallon. The states with the lowest average prices: Mississippi ($3.23), Louisiana ($3.28), and Tennessee ($3.34). The states with the highest average prices: California ($5.39), Washington ($5.02), and Hawaii ($4.75).

See previous gas price reports here

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

Photo via Pixabay