Montana Gas Prices See Steady Increase, National Average Holds Firm

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana gas prices have increased five out of the past six weeks. Patrick De Haan is the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy and he provided the current numbers.   

“Average gasoline prices in Montana have risen 1.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.53 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “Prices in Montana are 9.7 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 30.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.”                     

As of Monday afternoon, many stations in Missoula still had their prices set to around $3.57 per gallon.  

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Montana was priced at $3.29 per gallon yesterday while the most expensive was $4.56 per gallon.                       

Montana is currently ranked 15th in the U.S. when it comes to the average price of gas, which is the same as last week.   

“The national average price of gasoline has risen .7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.47 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “The national average is down .8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 25.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 1.2 cents in the last week and stands at $3.78 per gallon.”                   

READ MORE: Montana Gas Prices Drop After a Month of Increases

According to De Haan, we continue to see a mixed bag when it comes to gas prices across the country. 

“States in the Great Lakes region are still being jolted by the Joliet, IL refinery outage, which has also impacted gas prices in some areas of Canada, while areas like the West Coast continue to see notable declines," said De Haan. "With the summer winding down and GasBuddy data showing disappointing gasoline demand and struggling oil prices, we could eventually see the national average falling a bit more, especially once the refinery in Illinois restarts operations. While hurricane season hasn't been a factor yet, it's also just starting to get into its prime, and that does remain a quiet wildcard for now."