The national average price for a gallon of regular gas dropped on Friday, falling to $3.106, according to AAA. This marks the latest decrease at the pumps after consumers experienced several weeks of increases in February. 

Additionally, the latest pricing means fuel costs are comparatively lower than last week, last month, and last year. A week ago, regular gas was $3.114 per gallon. A month ago, fuel cost $3.141 per gallon. A year ago, a gallon of regular gas cost $3.397. Friday’s price point for gas is the cheapest since the middle of January. 

The decrease in gas prices this week is good news for President Donald Trump, who campaigned that he would help lower gas prices. However, except for the first two weeks after his inauguration, gas prices have gradually increased, particularly during the month of February. Other good news is that this week’s fuel costs were lower than the cost of gas on former President Joe Biden’s last day in office when it was $3.125 per gallon.

Gas prices have been contentious in the nation’s political discourse over the last few years. Compared to Trump’s first term, between January 2017 and January 2021, fuel costs were significantly more expensive under Biden, and the country was burdened with expensive gas prices shortly after he became president. The last time the average price for a gallon of regular gas was under $3 per gallon was when Trump was previously in office when the average cost during his presidency for a gallon of regular gas was $2.476.  

GAS PRICES: SLIGHT DECREASE AT THE PUMPS TO END THE WEEK

That all changed when Biden became president. Gas prices increased to over $3 per gallon shortly after Biden’s inauguration, beginning in June 2021. Approximately a year later, the cost of a gallon of regular gas soared to $4.929, the most expensive in the nation’s history. Fuel prices began to drop the next month. They rose and fell between 2022 and 2024, but through all the fluctuations, the average cost for gas under Biden remained more expensive than when Trump was in office. 

Gas prices vary throughout the country, depending on which state one is in. Some states have much higher prices than others. Each week, in various areas, the price of regular gas decreases depending on the day, while in others, the average cost rises. Mississippi has the least expensive average gas prices in the country, at $2.644 per gallon. Meanwhile, California is the most expensive state in the nation for gas, with an average cost of $4.734 per gallon.