Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana gasoline prices have dropped 13 out of the past 14 weeks. This week was the largest drop of the year. Patrick De Haan is the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy and he provided the current numbers.                 

“Average gasoline prices in Montana have fallen 8.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.09 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “Prices in Montana are 11.8 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 49.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.”                                   

As of Tuesday morning, many stations in Missoula had their prices set to around $3.09 per gallon.   

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Montana was priced at $2.94 per gallon yesterday while the most expensive was $3.49 per gallon.                           

Montana is currently ranked 18th in the U.S. when it comes to the average price of gas, which is six spots lower than last week.                 

“The national average price of gasoline has fallen 2.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.05 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “The national average is down 11.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 34.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has declined 1.3 cents in the last week and stands at $3.52 per gallon- the lowest level since 2021.”        

READ MORE: Expert Says the Election is Not Impacting Montana Gas Prices

According to De Haan, seasonal trends continue to push down gasoline prices across much of the country. 

“GasBuddy is counting 26 states where average gas prices have fallen below $3 per gallon, something that could be less than a week away for the national average," said De Haan. "While much of the attention this week will be on the election and how it could potentially change the trajectory of the nation, gasoline prices are likely to be a gift to the next president, staying much lower than in previous years when COVID and Russia's war on Ukraine caused a surge that’s unlikely to repeat, no matter who wins the election.” 

For now, De Haan said Americans can expect the downward trend to continue in most states.  

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

More From Newstalk KGVO 1290 AM & 98.3 FM