The average price of regular gasoline moved up another 3-6 cents per gallon over the last week in most Southern California cities due to increasing demand and oil prices and reducing gasoline inventories, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. Today’s retail statewide average is $2.83 a gallon for regular unleaded, up six cents from last week and $1.29 less than last year.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.90 per gallon, which is up four cents compared to last week, two cents higher than a month ago, and $1.12 lower than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $2.86, which is five cents higher than last Thursday, four cents more than last month, and $1.15 lower than last year.
On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.95, which is four cents higher than last week, a penny lower than last month, and $1.15 lower than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $2.78, which five cents higher than last week, six cents higher than last month, and $1.19 lower than last year. In San Bernardino, the $2.80 average price is five cents higher than last week, a penny higher than last month, and $1.20 lower than a year ago today.
“The last time California Memorial Day travelers saw average gas prices this low was in 2016,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “However, in many cities gas prices are now higher than they were a month ago, reflecting the fact that more people are driving than a month ago. As the state continues to gradually open the economy, we can expect to see gas prices continue to rise.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on May 21, averages are:
