Average Kansas gas price now $2.09, down 7 cents in past week and 40 cents lower in past month.
TOPEKA – Kansas motorists continue to get good news when they fill up their gas tanks. At $2.09/gallon, the Sunflower State’s average per-gallon gas price is now fifth cheapest in the nation. Kansas’ gas price has fallen 40 cents in the past 30 days, tied with Iowa and Nebraska for the largest monthly decline in
America.“Kansans continue to see lower prices at the gas pumps,” said AAA Kansas spokesman Shawn Steward. “It certainly helps to have more money in your wallet for holiday shopping this time of year. Our gas prices across the state have been falling for about the past two months, and we are now down 8 percent from the $2.28 average from one year ago.”
Steward noted that three Kansas metro areas are among the Top 50 cheapest gas prices in America this week. Wichita, at $1.94/gallon, checked in with the third lowest gas prices among larger metro areas. Lawrence ($1.98) registered the 14th lowest price in the nation. Kansas City, Kan. ($2.04) is 41st lowest.
Of the 10 Kansas cities regularly highlighted by AAA Kansas (see chart below), all except Salina – which remained the same – experienced price declines in the past week. The largest price drops were seen in Kansas City, Kan. (-10 cents), Manhattan (-10), Topeka (-8) and Wichita (-8).
According to AAA Kansas, this week’s Kansas gas price extremes are:
HIGH: Elkhart (Morton County) – $2.67
LOW: Haysville (Sedgwick County) – $1.89
National Perspective
Today’s national gas price average of $2.42 is the lowest pump price of the year, a price point not seen since mid-December last year. The average sits at four cents cheaper than last week, 28-cents cheaper than last month and four cents less than last year. The last time the national average was cheaper on the week, month and year was during July 2017.
“Motorists are noticing a big difference as they fill-up at the gas pump this month,” said AAA Kansas’ Steward. “Month-over-month, gas price averages have dropped double digits for every state. For some in the Great Lakes and Central states (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri) state gas prices are as much as 40-cents less than they were in November. In some states, gas prices are nearing $2 per gallon – something that hasn’t been seen since December 2017.”
How low can gas prices go? AAA expects the national gas price average to drop as low as $2.40 by the end of the year due to cheaper crude oil prices. However, pump prices this cheap may not last into 2019. On Friday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced that the cartel and non-OPEC members, including Russia, will reduce production by 1.2 million b/d for the first six months of the year. While the decision will help to reduce the high level of global crude supply, the move has the potential to increase oil and gas prices. Crude was up to $52.61 at the market close on Friday, while the week prior, crude was as cheap as $50/bbl.