(The Center Square) – Iowa motorists are paying a nickel less for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline as fuel prices dropped last week.
The current price of $2.86 a gallon is down from $2.91 last week, according to AAA.
Gas prices are continuing to hover at around $70 a barrel, and a production cut announced by OPEC was not met with panic from the oil industry.
“Historically, crude oil tends to drop nearly 30 percent from late September into early winter with gasoline prices trailing the play,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “More than half of all US fuel locations have gasoline below $3 per gallon. By the end of the year, the national average may dip that low as well.”
Howard, Winneshiek, and Allamakee counties in northeastern Iowa continue to see gas prices over $3 a gallon. The cost of regular unleaded fuel is $3.10 in Allamakee County.
Clarke County in south-central Iowa has the lowest gas price at $2.64 a gallon.
The national average is $3.18 a gallon, according to AAA. Texas has the cheapest fuel at $2.68 for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline, followed by Mississippi at $2.72.
Fuel prices are above $4 a gallon in four states. California leads at $4.73, followed by Hawaii at $4.70, Washington at $4.29 and Nevada at $4.06.
