Editor’s Note: Report released December 26, 2017 due to the Christmas holiday.

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The nation’s gas prices continued to give ground for most Americans during the week leading up to the Christmas holiday, according to the latest fuel price survey released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. However, a sudden spike in prices across the Midwest, coupled with higher prices across California, pushed the nation’s average gas price upward by over two cents to $2.47 per gallon.

As stated previously, drivers in most regions enjoyed slightly lower gas prices, typically in the range of one to two cents per gallon. In fact, aside from a spike in California prices, the motorists in the broader West Coast region enjoyed about three-cent’s worth of price declines, on average. Prices in the Midwest jumped by nearly nine cents per gallon.

Truck drivers were not so lucky this week, with regionally-mixed price movements for diesel fuel, according to the E.I.A. Across the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast, diesel prices went down by about a penny to a penny and a half per gallon this week. East of the Continental Divide, it was a different story, with diesel prices rising up to two cents per gallon, particularly across the Midwest.

Fuel prices for all regions are shown below, as gathered from www.eia.gov.

E.I.A. Gas Price Survey

	12/11/17	12/18/17	12/25/17		week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.485	2.450	2.472		0.022	0.163
East Coast (PADD1)	2.465	2.438	2.426		-0.012	0.113
New England (PADD1A)	2.546	2.525	2.510		-0.015	0.199
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	2.589	2.571	2.555		-0.016	0.139
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.348	2.313	2.304		-0.009	0.067
Midwest (PADD2)	2.371	2.324	2.409		0.085	0.129
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.216	2.164	2.170		0.006	0.090
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	2.514	2.476	2.450		-0.026	0.275
West Coast (PADD5)	2.974	2.961	2.966		0.005	0.374
West Coast less California	2.724	2.710	2.677		-0.033	0.282

E.I.A. Diesel Price Survey

	12/11/17	12/18/17	12/25/17		week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.910	2.901	2.903		0.002	0.363
East Coast (PADD1)	2.901	2.897	2.904		0.007	0.331
New England (PADD1A)	2.900	2.924	2.943		0.019	0.332
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	3.060	3.060	3.068		0.008	0.381
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.788	2.778	2.782		0.004	0.304
Midwest (PADD2)	2.863	2.853	2.854		0.001	0.365
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.705	2.697	2.708		0.011	0.287
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	2.991	2.958	2.948		-0.010	0.432
West Coast (PADD5)	3.344	3.327	3.312		-0.015	0.505
West Coast less California	3.072	3.044	3.026		-0.018	0.299
California	3.560	3.552	3.539		-0.013	0.668

*PADD stands for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts. Charts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The closer the Christmas holiday gets, the more retailers seem to be giving at the pump. Gas prices, which have fallen steadily for weeks, gave ground again during the past week, according to the latest fuel price survey released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The E.I.A. report shows the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded dipped again, week over week, by about three and a half cents, to settle at an even $2.45 on a nationwide basis.

Prices were down in all regions this week, with some regions getting close to their 2016 price levels, including the Lower Atlantic and the Gulf Coast. Drivers from Texas to Alabama are paying the lowest for gas, with prices averaging about $2.16 per gallon. West Coast drivers are paying the most, at $2.96.

Truck drivers caught another break this week, although the E.I.A. report did not bring the same level of seasonal jolly. The nation’s average cost of diesel dropped by only about a penny per gallon, to hit $2.90.

Fuel prices for all regions are shown below, as gathered from www.eia.gov.

E.I.A. Gas Price Survey

	12/04/17	12/11/17	12/18/17		week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.500	2.485	2.450		-0.035	0.186
East Coast (PADD1)	2.491	2.465	2.438		-0.027	0.148
New England (PADD1A)	2.575	2.546	2.525		-0.021	0.244
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	2.616	2.589	2.571		-0.018	0.193
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.373	2.348	2.313		-0.035	0.087
Midwest (PADD2)	2.357	2.371	2.324		-0.047	0.132
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.250	2.216	2.164		-0.052	0.111
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	2.534	2.514	2.476		-0.038	0.341
West Coast (PADD5)	3.006	2.974	2.961		-0.013	0.398
West Coast less California	2.739	2.724	2.710		-0.014	0.333

E.I.A. Diesel Price Survey

	12/04/17	12/11/17	12/18/17		week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.922	2.910	2.901		-0.009	0.374
East Coast (PADD1)	2.904	2.901	2.897		-0.004	0.338
New England (PADD1A)	2.897	2.900	2.924		0.024	0.337
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	3.062	3.060	3.060		0.000	0.393
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.794	2.788	2.778		-0.010	0.308
Midwest (PADD2)	2.877	2.863	2.853		-0.010	0.374
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.713	2.705	2.697		-0.008	0.287
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	3.019	2.991	2.958		-0.033	0.463
West Coast (PADD5)	3.373	3.344	3.327		-0.017	0.539
West Coast less California	3.106	3.072	3.044		-0.028	0.339
California	3.585	3.560	3.552		-0.008	0.698

*PADD stands for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts. Charts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Gas prices gave holiday drivers another break this week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The weekly E.I.A. fuel price survey reports gas prices declined another one-and-a-half cents, on average, bringing the nation’s average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded down to about $2.49.

Average regional prices were down in all but one survey district, according to the E.I.A. Drivers across the Midwest, who had been enjoying steep price declines, felt a pinch at the pump this week as prices went up almost two cents per gallon. Across the broad West Coast, the average cost of gas finally fell below the $3.00 threshold for the first time in weeks.

Truck drivers finally caught a better break this week, as the nation’s average cost of diesel fell nearly in line with regular petroleum. Diesel prices dipped, nationally, by 1.2¢ per gallon, settling at $2.91.

Fuel prices for all regions are shown below, as gathered from www.eia.gov.

E.I.A. Gas Price Survey

	11/27/17	12/04/17	12/11/17		week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.533	2.500	2.485		-0.015	0.249
East Coast (PADD1)	2.508	2.491	2.465		-0.026	0.206
New England (PADD1A)	2.584	2.575	2.546		-0.029	0.289
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	2.632	2.616	2.589		-0.027	0.226
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.392	2.373	2.348		-0.025	0.167
Midwest (PADD2)	2.422	2.357	2.371		0.014	0.209
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.262	2.250	2.216		-0.034	0.208
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	2.538	2.534	2.514		-0.020	0.392
West Coast (PADD5)	3.035	3.006	2.974		-0.032	0.418
West Coast less California	2.750	2.739	2.724		-0.015	0.356

E.I.A. Diesel Price Survey

	11/27/17	12/04/17	12/11/17		week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.926	2.922	2.910		-0.012	0.417
East Coast (PADD1)	2.907	2.904	2.901		-0.003	0.381
New England (PADD1A)	2.881	2.897	2.900		0.003	0.353
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	3.074	3.062	3.060		-0.002	0.427
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.794	2.794	2.788		-0.006	0.359
Midwest (PADD2)	2.884	2.877	2.863		-0.014	0.417
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.712	2.713	2.705		-0.008	0.334
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	3.026	3.019	2.991		-0.028	0.544
West Coast (PADD5)	3.380	3.373	3.344		-0.029	0.572
West Coast less California	3.113	3.106	3.072		-0.034	0.382
California	3.597	3.585	3.560		-0.025	0.723

*PADD stands for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts. Charts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The price of gasoline continued its trek downward this week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The weekly E.I.A. fuel price survey shows the cost of regular unleaded declined by more than three cents per gallon, nationwide, to setting at $2.50.

Prices went down in all survey regions this week, particularly in the Midwest, where the retail cost dropped an average of seven cents per gallon this week. Over the past two weeks, gas prices in the Midwest have dipped by 14¢,  the biggest declines in the nation.

If the news for truckers was not as good this week, at least it was not as bad as last week. Average prices for diesel were flat, week on week, according to the E.I.A. survey. Prices did decline by about penny per gallon across the West Coast, the Midwest and the Central Atlantic. Nationally, however, prices moved only four-tenths of a cent, but it was enough to push the national average down, technically, to $2.92.

Fuel prices for all regions are shown below, as gathered from www.eia.gov.

E.I.A. Gas Price Survey

	11/20/17	11/27/17	12/04/17		week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.568	2.533	2.500		-0.033	0.292
East Coast (PADD1)	2.526	2.508	2.491		-0.017	0.260
New England (PADD1A)	2.593	2.584	2.575		-0.009	0.339
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	2.646	2.632	2.616		-0.016	0.276
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.415	2.392	2.373		-0.019	0.226
Midwest (PADD2)	2.497	2.422	2.357		-0.065	0.250
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.285	2.262	2.250		-0.012	0.271
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	2.542	2.538	2.534		-0.004	0.414
West Coast (PADD5)	3.051	3.035	3.006		-0.029	0.435
West Coast less California	2.758	2.750	2.739		-0.011	0.359

E.I.A. Diesel Price Survey

	11/20/17	11/27/17	12/04/17		week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.912	2.926	2.922		-0.004	0.442
East Coast (PADD1)	2.896	2.907	2.904		-0.003	0.405
New England (PADD1A)	2.862	2.881	2.897		0.016	0.371
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	3.055	3.074	3.062		-0.012	0.460
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.789	2.794	2.794		0.000	0.379
Midwest (PADD2)	2.873	2.884	2.877		-0.007	0.446
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.689	2.712	2.713		0.001	0.352
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	3.003	3.026	3.019		-0.007	0.562
West Coast (PADD5)	3.378	3.380	3.373		-0.007	0.603
West Coast less California	3.107	3.113	3.106		-0.007	0.427
California	3.599	3.597	3.585		-0.012	0.742

*PADD stands for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts. Charts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/