Auto Club: Monthly Gas Price Average Skyrockets
LOS ANGELES--April 11, 2006--The average price of a gallon of gasoline in Southern California has jumped 28 cents from March to April and is still climbing, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California monthly Fuel Gauge Report. Since January, prices have climbed nearly 55 cents due to speculation over international oil production and short supplies of the fuel additive, ethanol.The Southern California April average price for regular self-serve gasoline is $2.903, up from the March 14 average of $2.626.
"Gas prices have been marching higher since mid-February and is primarily due to oil and gas trader concerns over civil strife in the oil producing regions of Nigeria, Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons and a potential scarcity of ethanol, an additive that most refiners in the nation started using for the first time this year," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "This type of volatility causes speculators to push prices higher, and we are nearing an average of $3 per gallon for regular gasoline in many communities."
Statewide, the average price for April is $2.860, up from 2.573 in March. The all-time record high of $3.054 was set on Sept. 9, 2005. The lowest average price in the state is in Sacramento, where regular is selling for $2.742. Blythe reports the state's highest average price at $3.11.
Nationally, the average price is $2.686, up from $2.363 in March. The state with the highest gas price average is Hawaii at $2.969. Utah has the lowest average price of $2.339.
In Southern California, the averages for regular and premium grades of gasoline are listed below:
County/City Reg 4-11 Reg 3-14 Pre 4-11 Pre 3-14 Imperial County El Centro 3.003 2.706 3.167 2.840 Inyo County Bishop 2.999 2.677 3.186 2.847 Kern County Bakersfield 2.885 2.563 3.019 2.727 Ridgecrest 2.894 2.591 2.844 2.636 Los Angeles County Alhambra 2.902 2.591 3.099 2.755 Arcadia 2.902 2.627 3.089 2.843 Burbank 2.884 2.616 3.106 2.762 Culver City 2.933 2.645 3.129 2.827 Glendale 2.875 2.624 3.069 2.804 Glendora 2.839 2.564 3.026 2.639 Inglewood 2.854 2.561 3.059 2.794 Lancaster 2.889 2.606 3.099 2.721 Long Beach 2.865 2.593 2.981 2.740 Los Angeles 2.915 2.637 3.079 2.787 Manhattan Beach 2.944 2.681 3.159 2.851 Montebello 2.859 2.595 2.883 2.499 Santa Clarita 2.893 2.593 3.080 2.759 Santa Monica 2.900 2.715 3.139 2.746 Van Nuys 2.829 2.569 3.004 2.676 Whittier 2.811 2.532 2.969 2.581 Woodland Hills 2.897 2.644 3.099 2.859 Orange County Anaheim 2.802 2.514 2.959 2.646 Fullerton 2.796 2.493 2.989 2.666 Huntington Beach 2.828 2.512 2.974 2.667 La Habra 2.763 2.473 2.839 2.571 Laguna Beach 2.989 2.713 3.176 2.959 Newport Beach 2.937 2.667 3.172 2.939 San Clemente 2.949 2.694 3.139 2.891 Tustin 2.907 2.634 3.119 2.866 Riverside County Blythe 3.115 2.838 3.149 3.019 Hemet 2.882 2.634 2.899 2.657 Palm Springs 2.971 2.694 3.192 2.899 Riverside 2.875 2.609 3.052 2.783 San Bernardino County Redlands 2.906 2.598 3.079 2.773 San Bernardino 2.890 2.628 3.061 2.773 Victorville 2.916 2.673 2.993 2.693 San Diego County Chula Vista 2.894 2.590 3.092 2.796 Del Mar 3.022 2.760 3.194 2.986 Escondido 2.847 2.544 3.032 2.754 Oceanside 2.883 2.631 3.069 2.856 San Diego 2.894 2.629 3.075 2.809 San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo 2.939 2.707 3.159 2.859 Santa Barbara County Lompoc 2.937 2.668 3.124 2.818 Santa Barbara 2.997 2.730 3.184 2.965 Santa Maria 2.984 2.715 3.199 2.746 Tulare County Porterville 2.907 2.588 3.094 2.559 Visalia 2.902 2.583 3.039 2.703 Ventura County Ventura 2.836 2.581 2.955 2.614 So. Cal. Avg. 2.903 2.626 3.069 2.770
The Auto Club's Fuel Gauge Report is based on data gathered from monitoring fuel transactions at 2,800 Southern California gas stations. Oil Price Information Service -- the nation's most comprehensive source of petroleum pricing information, provides the data. Editors, for regional average daily fuel prices nationwide, please go to www.fuelgaugereport.com.
