Average gas prices per gallon in the U.S. are up slightly from the weekend but down about three cents from a week ago, while Connecticut’s price dropped about two cents during the week ending April 18.
The state saw its highest-on-record average price of regular gasoline per gallon on March 11 at $4.49. The previous peak price, according to AAA, was $4.39 on July 9, 2008, just before the Great Recession.
Three states — Connecticut, Georgia, and Maryland — have temporarily suspended gas taxes to help consumers while the cost of gas has increased.
In Connecticut, the state House and Senate on March 23 approved a bipartisan bill suspending for three months the state’s 25 cents-per-gallon excise tax on gasoline in an effort to provide relief from historically high fuel prices.
Globally, political turmoil is sending shockwaves through the oil market. Brent crude oil traded at $114 a barrel on Monday, April 18 — a three-week high — amid a production outage at Libya’s largest oil field, El Feel.
Protesters halted production at El Feel, demanding the ousting of the Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba government, a transition of power to the Fathi Bashagha government, and the resignation of NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla. El Feel typically produces 70,000 barrels of crude each day.
The disruption, in addition to declining Russian oil production and reduced energy demand from China amid COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai, is creating volatility in the global energy market.
Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Connecticut using data from AAA, and the prices in this story are as of April 18. State gas tax data is from World Population Review.
Connecticut’s gasoline price data:
• Current average price: $3.90
• Week change: -$0.02 (-0.4%)
• Year change: +$1.02 (+35.1%)
• Gas tax: $0.25 per gallon (#29 highest among all states, suspended for three months)
• Historical expensive gas price: $4.49 (3/11/22)
Metro areas with the most expensive gas in Connecticut:
1. Bridgeport: $3.98
2. Lower Fairfield County: $3.97
3. New London-Norwich (CT only): $3.94
4. Windham: $3.90
5. New Haven-Meriden: $3.89
6. Hartford: $3.86
States with the most expensive gas:
1. California: $5.71
2. Hawaii: $5.23
3. Nevada: $5.08
States with the least expensive gas:
1. Kansas: $3.66
2. Missouri: $3.67
3. Arkansas: $3.69
States with the highest gas tax per gallon:
1. Pennsylvania: $0.59
2. California: $0.53
3. Washington: $0.52
States with the lowest gas tax per gallon:
1. Alaska: $0.0895
2. Hawaii: $0.16
3. Virginia: $0.162