Today’s fuel price musings - Rockford is lower than half the country!

September 1st, 2009 at 02:26pm Thomas V. Bona

I haven’t done one of these in six weeks, mainly because gas prices don’t do much in the summer (unless hurricanes go crazy, which they haven’t yet). But with a new month, a new commitment. Let’s see where prices go this fall (and fall they may, thought expect them back up a year from now).

What stood out is that Rockford is not only below the national average in gas prices, but we’re 149th of the country’s 280 metro area. That’s right, most of the country has higher gas prices than we do. When’s the last time that has happened?

Here are the prices from this morning (courtesy of AAA’s fuelgaugereport.com):

Gasoline: Rockford dropped a cent to $2.56 a gallon today, up almost three cents in the past month but down $1.19 in the past year. We’re sixth in the state. The Illinois average dropped a cent to $2.64 a gallon, up almost four cents in the past month but down $1.23 in the past year. The national average dropped slightly but stayed at $2.61 a gallon, up seven cents in the past month but down $1.08 in the past year. Illinois has the 19th-highest gas prices in the nation, including the District of Columbia.

Diesel: Rockford remained at $2.72 a gallon, a 10-cent increase in the past month but a $1.41 drop in the past year. We have the fourth-highest diesel prices in the state. The state average remained at $2.71, a nine-cent increase in the past month but a $1.62 drop in the past year. The national average dropped almost a cent to $2.69, an 11-cent increase in the past month but a $1.57 drop in the past year. Illinois has the 21th-highest diesel prices in the country, including the District of Columbia.

So a question, dear readers. Do the fact that gas prices are way lower than a year ago make you more likely to travel this Labor Day weekend? Or is the economy so bad that you’re staying put, no matter what gas prices  are?

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized