What is the average cost for all three grades of gasoline in California
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Executive summary
California’s most widely cited current “all grades” retail average is about $4.25 per gallon, as reported by AAA for the state today (AAA California Avg. $4.254) [1]. Official federal time‑series data for “all grades, all formulations” are maintained by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), which provides weekly and monthly series that can differ slightly from private trackers because of methodology and release timing [2] [3] [4].
1. What “all three grades” means and which data sources track it
“All three grades” is commonly shorthand for the market average that blends regular, midgrade and premium gasoline into a single statewide price; both AAA and the EIA publish series for “all grades” that aim to capture this combined retail average [1] [2]. AAA’s consumer‑facing dashboard publishes a daily California average intended for drivers, while the EIA releases official weekly and monthly statistical series used by analysts and policymakers [1] [3] [4]. Those two sources are the primary public references for an “all grades” number, but they use different sampling frames and update cadences, so their point estimates will not always match exactly [1] [2].
2. The headline number: current statewide “all grades” average
AAA’s current California “all grades” average is displayed as $4.254 per gallon on its state gas price page (AAA California Avg. $4.254) [1]. That figure is the clearest single answer in the available reporting for a current composite price across the three retail grades; it is a daily, consumer‑oriented average intended to reflect what drivers see at pumps across the state [1].
3. Other published averages and why they differ
Other outlets have reported different California averages in recent months — for example, several news analyses and aggregators cited figures around $4.31 to $4.45 per gallon and occasional higher snapshots such as $4.78 depending on the date and the dataset used [5] [6] [7]. The discrepancies arise because some reports quote AAA, some use EIA weekly or monthly series, some rely on GasBuddy or private aggregators, and some reference specific dates when refinery outages or closures briefly pushed prices higher; methodology (sample of stations, weighting by sales volume, inclusion of taxes and local fees) also matters [1] [2] [5].
4. Why California’s “all grades” average is consistently above the national number
California’s all‑grades average historically runs well above the U.S. national average for several documented reasons: higher state and local taxes and fees, unique CARB fuel formulations and Low Carbon Fuel Standard costs, and a refining footprint that makes the state more exposed to local refinery outages and closures — all of which are echoed in state and academic analyses cited by the EIA and California energy agencies [8] [9]. Analysts predict that refinery shutdowns and regulatory compliance costs could increase the premium Californians pay at the pump, which explains why forecasts and academic models warn of further divergence from national averages [9] [5].
5. Caveats, time sensitivity and where to go for verification
Any single “average” is a snapshot: AAA’s $4.254 is a daily, public-facing figure and the EIA maintains downloadable weekly and monthly series for “all grades” that are the authoritative federal record for historical comparison [1] [2] [3]. Price estimates in news articles or model-based forecasts can differ substantially depending on the date, the grade referenced (regular vs. all grades), and whether the figure is national vs. state‑specific; readers seeking the most current official time series should consult the EIA pages for California all‑grades retail prices, and AAA for a daily consumer snapshot [2] [1] [3].