Gas prices continue to test lows not seen since May 2009. The national average for regular unleaded has fallen for a record 110 days while Oregon’s average has declined for 49 days in a row.
For the week, the national average skids another seven cents to $2.12 a gallon. Oregon’s average plunges 12 cents to $2.32 a gallon, said AAA Oregon/Idaho Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds.
“Barring any major increases in the global price of crude oil, AAA expects the national average to remain below $3 per gallon in 2015,” she said.
Gas prices in Hermiston are below $2.40 per gallon.
Drivers in 11 more states saw their average price at the pump drop below $2 per gallon over the past week, bringing the total number of states below this threshold to 18. This number could rise to 25 by the end of next week given current trends. The average price at the pump is more than $2.50 per gallon in just five states and Washington, D.C. The nation’s least expensive markets continue to be in the mid-continent, with consumers in Missouri ($1.76) and Oklahoma ($1.82) paying the country’s lowest averages at the pump. For the second week in a row, Hawaii ($3.42) is the only state with an average above $3 per gallon, followed by Alaska ($2.92) and New York ($2.61) as the nation’s most expensive markets.
The national average has fallen every day since September 25 for a total of $1.23 per gallon. Today’s price is $1.58 (approximately 43 percent) less than the 2014 peak of $3.70 per gallon on April 28. The Oregon average has fallen every day since November 25, adding up to a 73-cent drop and is $1.66 (about 42 percent) less than the 2014 peak of $3.98 reached on July 3.
Week-over-week the average price is down in 47 states, including Oregon, and Washington, D.C., with the largest savings in Montana (-16 cents) and Utah (-16 cents). The price is down by a nickel or more in 45 states and Washington, D.C., and 17 states, including Oregon, are posting discounts of a dime or more over this same period. While prices in three Midwestern states have increased over the past week, these same states still boast among the largest month-over-month declines in the nation: Indiana (+7 cents week-over-week, -48 cents month-over-month), Ohio (+7 cents week-over-week, -49 cents month-over-month) and Michigan (+4 cents week-over-week, -58 cents month-over-month).
The average price at the pump is down month-over-month in every state and Washington, D.C. Drivers in Idaho (-71 cents) and Utah (-64 cents) are enjoying the largest savings during this period. Oregon is one of 17 states where prices are at least 50 cents lower than a month ago. Even consumers in the nation’s most expensive markets are seeing marked savings over this period, with discounts of more than a quarter in Hawaii (-30 cents), California (-30 cents) and Washington, D.C. (-34 cents).
Diesel prices are also falling and both the national and Oregon averages are less than $3 a gallon. The national average loses a dime to $2.99 a gallon. Oregon’s average plunges 14 cents to $2.86.
