BALTIMORE, MD—For the second straight week, the nation’s average price of gasoline has increased, climbing 6.2 cents from a week ago to $3.40 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 23.0 cents from a month ago and 4.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 1.3 cents in the last week and stands at $4.02 per gallon—30 cents lower than one year ago.

“The national average price of gasoline has seen a continued but measured rise compared to last week, but the pace of increases has slowed slightly in the last few days. With government data showing a rise in refinery utilization last week, there may be some good news on the horizon for drivers,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Much of the seasonal rise that happens this time of year is a culmination of refinery maintenance, the switch to summer gasoline, and rising demand. If refineries continue to boost output of products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, it could mean earlier-than-expected relief. However, the changeover is still in process, so while we’ll likely see the continuation of upward pressure on prices, improvement in output could slow that pressure down some.”

The most common U.S. diesel price stood at $3.99 per gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $3.89, $3.79, $3.69, and $4.19 rounding out the top five most common prices. The median U.S. diesel price is $3.93 per gallon, down 2 cents from last week and about 9 cents lower than the national average for diesel. Diesel prices at the top 10% of stations in the country average $5.04 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $3.44 per gallon. The states with the lowest average diesel prices: Oklahoma ($3.57), Texas ($3.62), and Mississippi ($3.64). The states with the highest average diesel prices: Hawaii ($5.52), California ($5.36), and Washington ($4.61).

See previous gas price reports here

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

EDITOR’S NOTE: Local gas prices for the week of March 11, 2024 are not yet available.

Photo via Pixabay