Midwestern states skew national gas price average

Lifestyles

Related Photos

stock photo

Discussion

August 6, 2012

Midwestern states skew national gas price average

By Mark Huffman ConsumerAffairs.com The Tribune-Democrat Mon Aug 06, 2012, 04:00 PM EDT

Gasoline prices are headed up again, but maybe not as much as the statistics seem to suggest. Surging pump prices in five Midwestern states may be distorting the picture.

Last week motorists in Illinois and Indiana were shocked as gas prices jumped more than 40 cents a gallon almost overnight. There were similar price surges in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.

While consumers fumed, industry analysts explained a pipeline rupture and equipment problems at three regional refineries were mostly responsible for the hike. While gas prices were rising in most states, the increases were nothing like these five states experienced.

On Sunday the average price of self-service regular was $4.05 a gallon in Illinois. That makes Illinois gasoline the second most expensive in the nation, behind Hawaii.

The price increase in these five Midwestern states has pushed the national average price of gas higher than it might have been otherwise. The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey puts the national average price at $3.61 a gallon. That's up 12.5 cents a gallon in the last week.

Prices rising just about everywhere

While the affected Midwestern states have seen prices at the pump rise at an abnormally rapid rate, prices elsewhere are rising, just at a more moderate pace. States like South Carolina and Mississippi, where prices are lowest, have seen price hikes in the last week of about 13 cents a gallon.

But in expensive states like Oregon, the price hikes have been even slower. The state-wide average price in Oregon is up three cents in the last seven days. The average price in North Dakota hasn't budged in the last week.

Analysts say prices in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan should fall just as quickly as they went up. When, however, remains less certain. Prices generally begin going down after Labor Day.

Story provided by ConsumerAffairs.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Lifestyles

For pastors, tattoos as symbols of faith
As the spiritual leader for two United Church of Christ congregations, the Rev. Richard Lindsay-Bignell found a way to combine his love of the ministry and his passion for art.

June 10, 2013 1 Photo
‘Kinky Boots’ struts off with most Tony Awards
The feel-good musical “Kinky Boots,” with songs by pop star and Broadway newcomer Cyndi Lauper, won six 2013 Tony Awards on Sunday, including best musical, best score and best leading man.

June 9, 2013
'Boy or Girl?' Gender a new challenge for schools
From the time they are born, we put our boys in blue beanies and our girls in pink ones. It's a societal norm, an expectation even, that you just are what you are born — a boy or a girl.

May 28, 2013 2 Photos
Space tourism industry seeks new heights
Are you looking for an experience that's fun, different and a little out of this world?

Do you have some extra cash to play with?

Maybe a suborbital flight to the edge of space is in the cards for you.

May 28, 2013 1 Photo
Pa. Turnpike to install electric car charging stations
The Pennsylvania Turnpike will take a "leap of faith" with its new electric-vehicle charging stations.

April 26, 2013
ACLU threatens legal action against Red Lion School District in transgender case
The American Civil Liberties Union has demanded Red Lion Area School District apologize to the transgender high school student involved in the prom king controversy.

April 26, 2013 1 Photo
Baseball, ice cream make winning combination
Baseball season is upon us. It's time to line the bases, break out the bats and cheer from the stands. For me, it signals the start of ice cream season. I scan the frozen food aisles of the local supermarkets, seeking the latest flavors for the upcoming warm months.

April 22, 2013 1 Photo
Learn to save on pet products, supplies
Families come in all shapes and sizes. But one thing that many families have in common is pets. With the average cost of owning a pet being $600 to $900 annually, I'm happy to say there are quite a few ways to save on those furry friends of ours.

April 22, 2013
Craft Beer Week featuring five 'collaboration brews'

Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week, which runs April 19 through 27, encompasses dozens of events across the city and region. But perhaps the best way to get a good taste of it is to get a taste or tastes of the "collaboration brews" made for that week at five local craft breweries.

April 11, 2013
Sun-Times: Famed movie critic Roger Ebert dies
Roger Ebert, the most famous and most popular film reviewer of his time who become the first journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for movie criticism and, on his long-running TV program, wielded the nation's most influential thumb, died Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. He was 70.

April 4, 2013 1 Photo
More Lifestyles Headlines

Do you think Edward Snowden, the American who claims to have given documents about classified phone records to journalists, should be:

Lifestyles

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Midwestern states skew national gas price average

Do you think Edward Snowden, the American who claims to have given documents about classified phone records to journalists, should be:

Contact Us