(October 17, 2017) As the national gas price average drops just two cents on the week to $2.47, states east of the Mississippi are paying as much as eight cents less at the start of this week. While gas prices are more expensive than a year ago, the past five weeks of sustained weekly declines indicate that demand may be leveling out alongside refineries and pipelines returning to pre-hurricane operations, according to AAA.

“Gas stations are steadily dropping pump prices for the majority of motorists, especially regional markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South and Southeast,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “Drivers will see stabilized or decreasing prices at the pump throughout this month due to high refinery production rates and seasonal demand.”

In September, Hurricane Harvey drove gas prices to the highest price of the year — $2.67. That was a 32-cent increase inside of 12 days. Now nearly seven weeks post hurricane, gas prices have shown steady decline dropping a total of 20 cents since Sept. 11, 2017.

Quick Stats

    The nation’s top 10 most expensive markets are: Hawaii ($3.11), California ($3.04), Alaska ($3.00), Washington ($2.93), Oregon ($2.77), Nevada ($2.73), Connecticut ($2.72), Idaho ($2.71), Washington, D.C. ($2.70) and New York ($2.67).

    The nation’s top 10 markets with the largest weekly changes are: Ohio (+13 cents), Michigan (+12 cents), Indiana (+10 cents), South Carolina (-7 cents), Georgia (-7 cents), Tennessee (-7 cents), Florida (-7 cents), Texas (-7 cents), North Carolina (-6 cents) and Alabama (-6 cents).