Gas Prices

A Los Angeles Times blog post reports that for the first time in almost three months, the average price of gasoline in California fell below $4 per gallon. While the national average has been sitting near $3.77 a gallon for the past couple weeks, the highest prices in the 48 states are found in Illinois and Michigan. The average cost of a gallon of gas in Illinois is $4.146, and that in Michigan is $4.116.
Mississippi has one of the lowest average gas prices in the country, at $3.518 a gallon. The current average prices in Mississippi and California demonstrate nearly a 6% decrease from a month ago. On the other hand, Illinois' price indicates only a 3% decrease over the past month, and that for Michigan fell by a mere 2% over the same time period.

The high gas prices in the Midwest, however, are not unusual considering the recent events in the region's oil industry. Three refineries in Illinois are experiencing problems, and several nearby pipelines have been shut down to continue with repairs.

An interesting way to monitor the fluctuation in gas prices is by following the Daily Fuel Gauge Report by AAA. Not only does the website provide the average gas prices of states around the country, but it also depicts these prices over time and visually on a map.

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