BOISE, Idaho — "While there have been a few pockets of rising prices, those have been the needle in the haystack, with nearly every single state seeing gas prices fall."
According to gas price tracking platform, GasBuddy, Idaho is one of those needles.
Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said the majority of the country is experiencing a drop in cost of gasoline per gallon "thanks to oil prices holding near recent lows and the transition to summer gasoline being essentially complete."
However, the Gem State isn't part of that fortunate majority experiencing cheaper prices. As of Monday, Idaho was back on the Top 10 list for 'most expensive fuel in the U.S.' - after having dropped off the list in March.
AAA Idaho said that Idaho achieved the undesirable ranking due to the consistent upward trend over recent weeks.
"For two weeks, the state average has followed a pattern – a four or 5-cent jump early in the week and then a lull that lasts for several days," said AAA Idaho Public Affairs Director Matthew Conde.
AAA also warned that $4 gas prices are looming in some parts of the state - particularly in the Treasure Valley and Franklin area.
Boise:
"Fuel demand and crude oil prices are extremely fickle right now, so there could be a bit of a teeter-totter effect at the pump in the short term. But higher prices are on the horizon," said Conde.
As of Monday, May 8, Boise's average price for regular unleaded stood at $3.85 per gallon, having gone up nearly 7 cents in the last week.
GasBuddy surveyed 216 stations in Boise and determined that prices in the state's capital are 21.8 cents per gallon more than they were one month ago, but still cheaper than one year ago, 64.4 cents cheaper.
There is a 64-cent difference between the cheapest and most expensive pumps in Boise, between $3.29 and $3.93 per gallon. Find the cheapest nearby gas station via KTVB's interactive map.
Idaho/ Regional:
Seven of the top 10 states with the most expensive gas are in the northwest portion of the country.
Idaho is ranked in tenth place for costliest gas per gallon. Alaska (9th), Utah (8th), Oregon (6th), Nevada (5th), Washington (4th), California (1st).
"If crude oil hovers in the low $70 or upper $60 range, and if fuel demand calms down, the lower gas prices that are happening in other parts of the country could make their way to Idaho," said Conde.
GasBuddy data found the average price for gasoline in Idaho to be $3.71, following a slight increase of 1.2 cents. AAA quoted Idaho a slightly higher average - at $3.75 per gallon.
As of Monday, the cheapest gas in Idaho was $3.29 per gallon, while the most expensive was $3.99 - a difference of 70.0 cents per gallon.
Average gasoline prices per gallon for Idaho's immediate neighboring states: Wyoming ($3.38), Montana ($3.46), Utah ($3.90), Oregon ($4.08), Nevada ($4.18) and the Washington state average price tallied to $4.53 per gallon.
GasBuddy data calculated the state of California to be the most expensive state in the country for gas at $4.77 per gallon.
National:
De Haan issued a hopeful outlook for American consumers, stating most states can anticipate a decline in average cost to fill up their gas tanks.
"Americans are spending hundreds of millions less on fuel every week compared to a year ago, and that's a number that could rise further as prices are poised to continue trending lower this week," said De Haan.
The national average price of gasoline went down 7.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.50, as of Monday. The value is 80.7 cents less than the average cost one year ago.
"In addition to gasoline prices declining, the average price of a gallon of diesel will join gasoline in the days ahead, falling below $4 per gallon in the next 48 hours or so, a sign of how far we've come," said De Haan.
The national average price of diesel stands at $4.01 per gallon, a 6.3-cent drop from last Monday, May 1.
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