Today’s fuel price musings - and up we go

1 comment March 7th, 2008

Gas prices are about to resemble this, I fear

Here are the details (data courtesy of AAA’s fuelgaugereport.com):

Gasoline: Rockford increased a cent, to $3.14 a gallon, but the real story is that Illinois as a whole is starting the uptick I’ve been predicting. The state on average rose almost a cent to $3.16 a gallon, while every metro area saw a hike except for Danville (insert joke about Danville prices here). We remain third in the state. The national average rose less than a cent, but still remains above Illinois at $3.19. In fact, Illinois is 26th in the state in gas prices. That’s right, we’re in the bottom half. But retail prices are finally starting to follow crude oil in increasing, so let the rise begin.

Diesel: Yep, the good news here was fleeting. Rockford increased almost four cents to $3.80 a gallon (a new record!). The state average also hit a record, rising more than a cent to $3.84 a gallon, while most metro areas are at record highs. We’re now fifth in the state, with pacesetter Chicago increasing a cent to $3.94. The nation as a whole is at a record $3.74, rising three cents. Illinois still has the 12th-highest diesel prices in the country.