By Jake Fogal
BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices across Illinois are up almost 6 cents over the past week, averaging $4.02 a gallon.
Costs at the pump have jumped up about 10 cents over last month, but are $1.50 per gallon lower compared to this time last year.
According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Illinois is priced at $2.29 while the most expensive is $5.19.
The national average is slightly down over the week averaging $3.56 a gallon.
“It has been a quiet week for the national average, with little overall movement in average gas prices nationally even as oil prices have been a bit unstable. Some states have seen minor increases while others have seen decreases, and the mixed bag is likely to continue for the time being with oil prices a bit all over the place,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
The national average price of diesel has declined 4 cents in the last week and stands at $3.85 per gallon.
“While gasoline demand continues to inch up, we could see additional pressure on pump prices, while the price of diesel continues to see downward movement. While the uncertainty over the direction of the economy is a major player in preventing oil’s rise, inventories of oil and gasoline do remain tight, preventing much additional downward movement as well. We’ll have to see which of those factors emerge as a winner to predict when the next large movement in prices could be. We’re also seeing more tropical activity in the Atlantic that could pose challenges in the weeks ahead as hurricane season ramps up.”
Jake Fogal can be reached at [email protected].
