Montana Gas Prices Update: Latest Trends Revealed by Industry Expert

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana gas prices have gone up and down over the past four weeks. Patrick De Haan is the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy and he provided the current numbers.    

“Average gasoline prices in Montana have fallen 2.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.51 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “Prices in Montana are 3.4 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 43.2 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 $3.26 per gallon yesterday while the most expensive was $4.29 per gallon.                        

Montana is currently ranked 14th 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 fallen 3.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.44 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “The national average is down 5.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 37.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 2.3 cents in the last week and stands at $3.76 per gallon.”                    

READ MORE: Montana Gas Prices Increase Again, National Average Holds Firm

With oil prices plummeting due to new concerns over the U.S. economy after a poor jobs report, De Haan said gasoline prices have seen downside in many states, with potential for more to join that trend this week as previous refinery disruptions in the Great Lakes region fade away and the restart process begins. 

"Diesel prices have also continued to drop, and while Tropical Storm Debby drops buckets of rain on Florida and the Southeast, it poses low risk to refineries or refined product pipelines, so the storm is not a major concern,” De Haan said. “With the Middle East on alert after Israel's attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah, there could be an impact on oil prices; however, with an inability to predict the outcome, I for now expect gasoline prices in most states to gently decline in the week ahead, with the Middle East situation being a wildcard."