As the summer drive season ends, national and statewide average gas prices continue their descent, says AAA Northeast.
Today, the average price for a gallon of self-serve, regular in Connecticut is $3.59, down 15 cents from last week and down 56 cents from last month.
On the national level, today’s $3.72 average is down 7 cents from last week and down 27 cents from last month.
Lower crude oil prices, lower demand, and greater inventories are all factors contributing to lower prices at the pump. “If demand continues to drop since the summer drive season has ended, we’ll continue to see drops at the pump,” said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman.
“That’s because expensive crude oil usually leads to less expensive gas prices,” she added. Crude oil has settled around the $86 a barrel mark.
“As a result of this declining trend, we’ve seen pump prices steadily fall for three straight months. With autumn approaching, we can soon see prices below $3 a gallon in more markets, Mayko said.
There are 41 states, including Connecticut, have gas averages below the $3 mark.
Here is AAA’s weekly price survey of Connecticut’s six metro regions:
Greater Bridgeport $3.76 Lower Fairfield County $3.74
New Haven/Meriden $3.59 Greater Hartford $3.50
New London/Norwich $3.55 Windham/Middlesex $3.62
Statewide Average: $3.59
Today, Texas registers the lowest price in the nation at $3.14, followed by Mississippi and Arkansas, both at $3.16. California and Hawaii hold the highest prices in the nation at $5.41 and $5.28, respectively. Connecticut is now at the 29th spot on the list of highest gas prices in the nation. Visit www.gasprices.aaa.com for daily average gas prices.