By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — In the final week of the year, gas prices in the city have hit their lowest level in 2022.
The average cost of a gallon of gas in Rockford was $3.06 to start the week, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 139 stations. That average, however, comes with a wide range of prices. The cheapest station in the city was $2.62 per gallon on Sunday while the most-expensive price was $3.54.
This marks the first time all year that the average fuel price to start the week has been less than $3.21 per gallon, which was the rate on Jan. 3, according to GasBuddy data.
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The city’s average fuel price remains slightly higher than the national average, which fell about 5 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.05. It’s also higher than Wisconsin cities such as Madison at $2.84 per gallon and Milwaukee at $2.77 per gallon, according to Gas Buddy.
The national average gas price has dropped 50 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 20 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 150,000 gas stations across the country.
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“While the national average declined for the seventh straight week, with oil prices rallying, it remains to be seen if we will manage another week of gasoline price declines,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said in a news release. “We’re still waiting for the national average to fall below $3 per gallon, something that is suddenly a bit less likely given the extreme cold weather, interrupting refining operations in the south, curbing gasoline production and potentially driving prices up slightly.”
The national average price of diesel fuel fell nearly 9 cents per gallon to $4.68 to start the week.
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Dec. 26 gas prices | 10-year history
Year | Rockford average per gallon | national average
2021 | $3.24 | $3.25
2020 | $2.33 | $2.25
2019 | $2.53 | $2.54
2018 | $2.13 | $2.30
2017 |$2.49 | $2.44
2016 | $2.38 | $2.28
2015 | $1.94 | $2.00
2014 | $2.32 | $2.30
2013 | $3.29 | $3.26
2012 | $3.17 | $3.23
Source: GasBuddy
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.