CARS.COM — Motorists throughout the country are paying more to fill their tanks as the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said the national average for regular gas rose 3 cents over the past week to $2.36 and several states saw higher increases.
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According to AAA, the national average for regular has increased five weeks in a row for a total of 12 cents, and it is now 23 cents higher than a year ago. Average prices for premium gas and diesel fuel rose 3 cents the past week to $2.88 and $2.52, respectively. Premium is 24 cents higher than a year ago and diesel is 22 cents higher.
Here's a closer look at some state-specific costs this week:
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Prices jumped by a nickel or more in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, where prices tend to be volatile. Statewide averages for regular also rose by 5 cents in Kansas and Missouri and by 9 cents in Idaho.
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Hawaii had the highest statewide average for regular at $3.07, followed by California at $2.96 and Washington at $2.83.
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South Carolina had the lowest average, $2.09, with Alabama at $2.10 and Mississippi at $2.11.
Oil prices have risen in recent weeks, and AAA cited a report from the Energy Information Administration that gasoline demand in the U.S. hit a weekly record as reasons for the increases at the pump.
However, GasBuddy.com analyst Patrick DeHaan said, "We're unlikely to break out of the well-established rut in the national average that has kept prices between $2.12 and $2.42 for the last 15 months."
