Montana Gas Prices Remain Higher Than the National Average

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Fourth of July weekend is right around the corner and many Montanans will be hitting the road soon. According to GasBuddy, average gasoline prices in Montana have risen 0.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.68 per gallon today. Patrick De Haan is the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, and he said Prices in Montana are 14.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago.  

“The cheapest station in Montana was priced at $3.37 per gallon yesterday while the most expensive was $4.24 per gallon,” De Haan said. “The national average price of gasoline has fallen 1.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.56 per gallon today. The national average is up 2.9 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 141.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 3.7 cents in the last week and stands at $3.85 per gallon.” 

GasBuddy’s data is compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. De Haan said some states have seen minor increases while others have seen decreases. 

“That mixed bag is likely to continue for the time being with oil prices a bit all over the place," said De Haan. "While gasoline demand continues to inch up, we could see additional pressure on pump prices, while the price of diesel continues to see downward movement. While the uncertainty over the direction of the economy is a major player in preventing oil's rise, inventories of oil and gasoline do remain tight, preventing much additional downward movement as well.” 

De Haan also mentioned that we're seeing more tropical activity in the Atlantic that could pose challenges in the weeks ahead as hurricane season ramps up.