December marked the cheapest gasoline since 2016, with prices 26 cents less than November and 6 cents less than 2017.
This week, prices in nine states are less than $2.00 a gallon, and the national average is $2.30 a gallon. The national average is 6 cents less than Christmas week, 24 cents less than the beginning of December and 16 cents less than January 2018.
In the past three months, the average has dropped on ¬¬¬83 days.
The largest price drop was in Ohio at 15 cents while the country’s lowest prices were in Michigan at $1.87 a gallon.
The highest prices were found on the West Coast and in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states while the South, Southeast, and Midwest saw the least expensive prices.
“All eyes are on OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) to kick off the year,” Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson, said. “Many are waiting to see if they stick to their promise to cut crude production by 1.2-million (barrels per day) and if the proposed cuts will be enough to restore balance to the market.”
It is expected OPEC will alter current oil production numbers in April, if necessary, to balance global supply and demand.