Drivers are likely getting sticker shock as they fill up. Pump prices are shooting up across the country due to tightening supplies. For the week, the national average adds a nickel to $2.70 a gallon. The Oregon average jumps seven cents to $3.06. It’s the first time the Oregon average has climbed above $3 since mid-December of last year.
The average price of a gallon of gas in Hermiston is around $2.79.
Since the start of the year, the national average has climbed 44 cents and the Oregon average has added 12 cents.
“Gasoline stocks have been consistently decreasing since early February, putting upward pressure on pump prices that is likely to continue for the coming weeks,” says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho.
Oregon is one of 47 states and the District of Columbia where prices are higher now than a week ago. California (+11 cents) and Georgia (+9 cents) have the largest jumps. Oregon (+7 cents) has the seventh-largest weekly increase in the country. Delaware, Maryland and Missouri are the three states with weekly decreases; all are one-half cent or less. This week four states, California, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon have averages at or above $3 a gallon, up from three states a week ago.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have higher prices now than a month ago. The national average is 27 cents more and the Oregon average is 31 cents more than a month ago. This is the ninth-largest monthly increase in the country. Indiana (+37 cents) has the largest monthly jump. Alaska (+12 cents) has the smallest month-over-month increase.
The West Coast continues to have some of the most expensive gas prices in the nation with most of the region’s states landing on the top 10 most expensive list. California is most expensive for the second week in a row, with Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Alaska rounding out the top six. Oregon is fourth most expensive for the third week in a row. Arizona is the only West Coast state not on the top 10 list.
Oregon is one of 24 states where drivers are paying less than a year ago to fill up. The national average is four cents more and the Oregon average is three cents less than a year ago.
