Snapshot of increasing California gas prices
As of 3/6/2022, according to AAA, California’s gas prices (regular, mid-grade, premium and diesel) are the most expensive in the nation. I’m a Los Angeles County resident. You can enter your State at the following website:
https://gasprices.aaa.com
Here are regular gas price comparisons for California versus the National Average.
**REGULAR GAS California National Average CA vs. National CA vs. National**
**as of 3/6/2022 $/gal $/gal Price difference % difference**
Current Average $5.288 $4.009 $1.279 31.9%
Yesterday’s Average $5.179 $3.922 $1.257 32.0%
Week Ago Average $4.820 $3.604 $1.216 33.7%
Month Ago Average $4.675 $3.439 $1.236 35.9%
Year Ago Average $3.733 $2.760 $0.973 35.3%
Over the recent past 52 weeks, the regular gas price in California has substantially increased by 38.7% from $3.733/gal to $5.179 as of 3/6/22.
Historically, gasoline prices in California have generally been the highest in the U.S. and more variable than prices in other states for the following primary reasons:
• According to the American Petroleum Institute, in 2021, California state gas taxes and fees are about 68 cents a gallon, compared to a national average of 39 cents, .
• According to EIA, California gasoline prices are generally higher and more variable than prices in other states because relatively few supply sources offer California’s unique blend of gasoline outside of the state. California’s reformulated gasoline program is more stringent than the federal government’s program. In addition to the higher cost of this cleaner fuel, state taxes on gasoline in California are higher than they are in most states.
California refineries need to run at near full capacity to meet the state’s gasoline demand. If more than one of its refineries experiences operating problems at the same time, California’s gasoline prices can increase substantially. Even when supplies are available from other West Coast refineries, U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, or from foreign refineries, they can take a relatively long time to arrive in California.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/gasoline/regional-price-…
In Los Angeles County, I buy regular gasoline from my local Costco store that usually has the lowest prices in my neighborhood as shown below:
03/06/22 $4.729 versus AAA’s $5.288
03/02/22 $4.299
02/20/22 $4.199
01/08/22 $4.049
Year-to-date, the Costco regular gas price has jumped up 16.8%. I usually gas up on Sundays around 6:30 am before heading to my local gym when lately there have been no wait lines at all. But early this past Sunday morning, I was totally surprised to find long lines extending out to public street. More surprising was the gas price increase up 43 cents since my last visit. It appears that the long car lines have returned to my Costco.
Regards,
Ray