WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – California gas prices have risen in the last few days, a trend that contrasts with sliding prices in most of the country.

The average price of gasoline in California is currently $4.82, an increase of five cents from last week. Despite this, gas prices remain lower than the $5.32 average Californians paid a year ago. Meanwhile, the national average is nearly 49 cents less than it was this time last year. 

“The biggest difference for gas prices this year has been the cost of crude oil,” said Doug Johnson, spokesperson, AAA Mountain West Group. “OPEC+ (the group of oil-producing countries) announced Saturday that it will increase output again in June, widening the supply surplus, which could cause crude prices to continue to fall.”

Fuel Prices Around the State: 

San Francisco: $5.13
Oakland: $5.00
San Jose: $5.01
Sacramento: $4.93
Fresno: $4.84
Stockton: $4.84

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased from 9.09 million b/d last week to 8.71. Total domestic gasoline supply slightly increased from 225.5 million barrels to 225.7. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.7 million barrels per day. 

Oil Market Dynamics 

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, WTI fell $1.02 to settle at $58.07 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories decreased by 2 million barrels from the previous week. At 438.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 7% below the five-year average for this time of year. 

EV Charging 

The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station increased two cents over last week to 36 cents. 

State Stats

Gas 

The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($4.82), Hawaii ($4.49), Washington ($4.26), Oregon ($3.90), Nevada ($3.89), Alaska ($3.60), Illinois ($3.43), Pennsylvania ($3.30), Idaho ($3.30), and Utah ($3.30).  

The nation’s top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Mississippi ($2.64), Louisiana ($2.70), Oklahoma ($2.73), Arkansas ($2.74), Alabama ($2.75), Tennessee ($2.75), Texas ($2.76), South Carolina ($2.77), Missouri ($2.82), and Kansas ($2.83). 

Electric 

The nation’s top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Hawaii (54 cents), Alaska (47 cents), West Virginia (47 cents), Montana (44 cents), Louisiana (43 cents), Kentucky (42 cents), Tennessee (42 cents), Idaho (42 cents), South Carolina (41 cents), and New Hampshire (40 cents).   

The nation’s top 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Kansas (22 cents), Missouri (25 cents), Delaware (26 cents), Iowa (27 cents),  Nebraska (29 cents), Utah (29 cents), Texas (30 cents), Maryland (30 cents), Vermont (30 cents), and North Carolina (31 cents). 

Find current fuel prices at gasprices.aaa.com. Find local news releases at mwg.aaa.com/news/press-release.