Energy

Gas Hits $3.99 in California

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: January 30, 2016 9:25 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 1:53 pm

Gasoline prices have dropped to about $1.80 per average gallon of regular nationwide. Much of this is due to oil prices that have fallen as low as $30 a barrel. Other factors affecting price are proximity to refineries and state gas taxes. The decline in oil has not kept prices from being above $4 a gallon in some California locations, and nearly as high in others, according to GasBuddy.

The average price of a gallon of regular across California is $2.59, second among states, trailing only Hawaii at $2.64.

The highest gas prices in the United States are at two stations in Orlando, near the entrance to the airport. The price at the Shell station there is $5.99, and at the Suncoast Energys station $5.95.

However, among the top 30 gas stations by price, 25 are in California. Two of the exceptions are in Hawaii in Kaunakaiki, with one at $4.12 and the other at $4.10. The price of transporting oil to Hawaii is huge because it has to travel from the West Coast or from Asia.

The California stations with $3.99 gas are mostly clustered around big cities, particularly Los Angeles and San Francisco. Five are within the Los Angeles city limits, and three in San Francisco. Just beyond the borders of these cities, places like Thousand Oaks have $3.99 gas.

Gas taxes and levies in California are among the highest in the United States. At $0.59 a gallon, they rank fifth among all states, according to the America Petroleum Institute. This compares to a national average of $0.48 and a low in Alaska at $0.307.