Gas Prices Ease in Some States While Surging in Others as Oil Jumps
by: GaaBuddy
Published: February 2, 2026
BOSTON...The nation’s average price of gasoline has fallen 0.9 cents over the last week and stands at $2.83 per gallon, according to GasBuddy® data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average is up 3.9 cents from a month ago and is 21.3 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel rose 4.2 cents in the last week and stands at $3.585 per gallon.
“While oil prices jumped to their highest level in months amid geopolitical tensions, a weakening U.S. dollar, and supply concerns, the national average price of gasoline saw little change compared to a week ago,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Just over half of states saw gas prices decline, led by Indiana, Ohio, and other price-cycling states that had previously seen prices jump but have since started to fall. Meanwhile, prices are rising across much of the West Coast as the transition to summer gasoline begins, and attention turns to another refinery shutdown in California expected in April. Over the coming weeks, we’re likely to see more states experiencing increases than decreases.”
OIL MARKET DYNAMICS
Oil prices began the new week by giving up a good portion of last week’s gains as geopolitical tensions appeared to cool, along with major oil fields in Kazakhstan restarting after power loss and fire. In early Monday trade, WTI crude oil was trading down $2.86 per barrel, or 4.4% lower at $62.35 per barrel, still up from $60.68 seen last Monday, while Brent crude oil was down $2.99 per barrel, or 4.3% lower to $66.33, but still up from last Monday’s $63.07 per barrel level. “Oil prices have given up recent gains, following easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and declining supply disruptions in the U.S. and Kazakhstan,” added Giovanni Staunovo, UBS commodities analyst, in an e-mail.
OIL AND REFINED PRODUCT SUPPLIES
The EIA’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending January 23, 2026, showed U.S. oil inventories fell by 2.3 million barrels and are about 3% below the seasonal average for this time of year, while the SPR rose 500,000 barrels to 415.0 million barrels. Gasoline inventories rose by 0.2 million barrels and are about 5% above the five-year seasonal average, while distillate inventories rose by 0.3 million barrels and are about 1% above the five-year seasonal average. Refinery utilization fell 2.4 percentage points to 90.9%, while implied gasoline demand, the EIA’s proxy for retail demand, rose 923,000 bpd to 8.757 million barrels per day.
GAS PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $2.99 per gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $2.69, $2.59, $2.79, and $2.89, rounding out the top five most common prices.
The median U.S. gas price is $2.72 per gallon, down 3 cents from last week and about 11 cents lower than the national average.
The top 10% of stations in the country average $4.12 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.26 per gallon.
The states with the lowest average prices: Oklahoma ($2.33), Louisiana ($2.37), and Mississippi ($2.40).
The states with the highest average prices: Hawaii ($4.32), California ($4.27), and Washington ($3.86).
Biggest weekly changes: Ohio (-13.7¢), Indiana (-13.5¢), New Jersey (+9.9¢), California (+8.6¢), South Dakota (-8.4¢)
DIESEL PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. diesel price stood at $3.49 per gallon, down 20 cents from last week, followed by $3.59, $3.19, $3.69, and $3.39, rounding out the top five most common prices.
The median U.S. diesel price is $3.49 per gallon, unchanged from last week and about 10 cents lower than the national average.
Diesel prices at the top 10% of stations in the country average $4.38 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.97 per gallon.
The states with the lowest average diesel prices: Louisiana ($3.10), Oklahoma ($3.11), and Texas ($3.14).
The states with the highest average diesel prices: Hawaii ($5.16), California ($4.91), and Washington ($4.67).
Biggest weekly changes: Delaware (+22.0¢), Idaho (+20.1¢), Colorado (+15.9¢), New Jersey (+15.2¢), Maine (+13.1¢)