Montana Gas Prices Continue to Rise, More Increases Are Expected

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - For the fourth straight week, Montana gas prices have increased. Patrick De Haan is the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy and he provided the current numbers. 

“Average gasoline prices in Montana have risen 3.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.53 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “Prices in Montana are 15.4 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 19.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.”                    

As of Monday afternoon, many stations in Missoula still had their prices set to around $3.55 per gallon, but a few were already at $3.59.  

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Montana was priced at $3.36 per gallon yesterday while the most expensive was $4.54 per gallon.                     

Montana is currently ranked 16th in the U.S. when it comes to the average price of gas, which is one spot higher than last week. 

“The national average price of gasoline has risen 2.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.49 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “The national average is up 5.2 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 5.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has risen 2.3 cents in the last week and stands at $3.83 per gallon.”                 

READ MORE: EXPERT ANALYSIS ON MONTANA’S SOARING GAS PRICES

According to De Haan, the nation's average price of gasoline has remained somewhat stuck in the mid-$3 per gallon range with a mixed bag of prices. 

“There are small declines in some states and modest increases in others as we wait for what could be the next major trend," said De Haan. "Hurricane Beryl had no major impact on prices, but some drivers in Texas had trouble finding gasoline due to power outages, a situation that continues to improve. For now, we'll continue to see small price fluctuations as we await news of any hurricane-fueled refinery disruptions or other supply challenges as we head into the busiest weeks of the summer travel season."