Gas Prices Post Net Drop For Past Month

Southern California gas prices looked like they were heading below the $3 mark after slow yet consistent drops over the past month, but an upswing since last Thursday has erased about two weeks’ worth of May price decreases, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California monthly Fuel Gauge Report.

The Southern California June average price for regular self-serve gasoline is $3.085, nearly seven cents lower than the May average of $3.151. This month’s average price is just 16 cents higher than last year’s June price average of $2.923 – the tightest gap so far between this year’s and last year’s prices.

The statewide average price of $3.081 is seven cents lower than the May average of $3.153. Marysville in Northern California has the lowest average prices in the state at $2.938, while South Lake Tahoe has the highest gas price average at $3.254. Escondido is the only Southern California Fuel Gauge Report city posting an average below $3 a gallon – its average price is $2.988. The highest-priced gas in Southern California is in Laguna Beach, which has an average price of $3.207 a gallon.

 

Nationally, the June average price of $2.718 is 18 cents lower than the May average of $2.901. Alaska has surpassed Hawaii by just fractions of a penny as the state with the most expensive gas in the country, with an average price of $3.506. South Carolina has the lowest state average price at $2.505 – one dollar below Alaska.  

“The $3-a-gallon mark has seemed to be a sticking point for California gas prices for nearly a year, with statewide and Southern California price averages remaining in a relatively narrow range between $2.90 and $3.20 per gallon,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “Since January, price averages have stayed within an even narrower range statewide and for Southern California – between $2.92 and $3.12 per gallon.”  

In Southern California, the averages for regular and premium grades of gasoline are listed below: