Gasoline Prices Drop Across Nation Except for West Coast

The retail price of gasoline fell over the last two weeks, reflecting declines in the cost of crude oil and seasonal demand, an industry analyst said Sunday.

The average price of gas at the pump nationwide on Friday was about $1.50 per gallon, down 2.26 cents from Feb. 9, according to the Lundberg Survey of 8,000 stations.

The drop was most dramatic in the Midwest, where the price fell more than 8 cents a gallon. The exception was the West Coast, where prices rose more than 3 cents a gallon, said industry analyst Trilby Lundberg.

The West Coast price hikes, Lundberg said, were caused by a “tight supply of gasoline due to temporary refinery interruptions.”

The drop came after a two-week period in which the average prices had remained steady after rising slightly in January. Prices now remain close to what they were a year ago, Lundberg said.

“For the nation at large, the gasoline supply is adequate and the national average price is 4 cents above the year-ago level,” she said.