Gas prices 1 year ago
Executive summary
One year ago, in December 2024, the U.S. national average for a gallon of regular gasoline hovered right around the $3 mark—AAA reported $3.02–$3.03 in early December and industry summaries show the national average teetering near $3.00 through the month [1] [2]. Monthly data and regional reports put December 2024 averages between roughly $2.98 and $3.28 depending on the dataset and region [2] [3].
1. December 2024: “Teetering on $3” — national snapshots
Multiple industry trackers described December 2024 as a month when the national average was effectively at the $3-per-gallon threshold: AAA bulletin language noted national averages of $3.02 and $3.03 in early December 2024 [1], and trade coverage likewise described the national average as “teetering the $3 per gallon line” across mid-to-late December [2]. Those contemporaneous snapshots show the headline story for one year ago was stability around the $3 level rather than the dramatic swings seen in earlier years [1] [2].
2. Regional differences changed the picture on the ground
Available reporting makes clear regional spreads mattered: EIA regional snapshots for December 1, 2024, showed regular gasoline prices ranged from a low of $2.55 per gallon on the U.S. Gulf Coast to a high of $4.03 on the U.S. West Coast [4]. Local press and state-level trackers also recorded variation—for example, the New York-Newark-Jersey City area averaged $3.188 in December 2024, close to the national midpoint reported by BLS for that month [3]. The national “~$3” headline thus masked substantial local differences [4] [3].
3. Monthly and annual context: 2024’s highs and lows
Looking beyond a single week, several sources show 2024 featured a spring peak and a gradual decline into the fall and early winter: one dataset lists a monthly peak near $3.61 in April 2024 with a decline to about $3.02 by December [5] [6]. That pattern means December’s ~$3 average was part of a larger trajectory where prices fell from spring highs back toward levels similar to early 2024 and late 2023 [5] [6].
4. Different data producers, different emphases
Government, industry and private trackers all covered December 2024 but emphasize different things. AAA’s public bulletins used the $3 framing and week-to-week changes [1]. EIA provided regional low/high ranges and detailed weekly series [4]. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported January 2025 prices that called back to January 2024 levels and documented April 2024 as a 12‑month high—useful for annual comparison though outside December itself [5]. Private aggregators like LendingTree and GasBuddy offered averages and state-level comparisons that echo the government data but with different baselines [6] [2].
5. How to interpret “1 year ago” claims responsibly
When someone cites “gas prices 1 year ago,” the precise meaning matters: national weekly average, monthly average, or a regional pump price will produce different numbers. For December 2024, reliable sources converge on the narrative that national averages sat around $3.00 (AAA and trade reporting) while official regional tables show a broader range from about $2.55 to over $4.00 [1] [4] [2]. Any summary should note which dataset it uses.
6. Caveats, limitations and what the sources don’t say
Available sources provide national and regional averages and note trends but do not supply a single definitive “one-year-ago” pump price for every location; they also do not reconcile minor methodological differences across trackers [1] [4] [2]. Sources do not mention retail price dispersion drivers in detail—for example, station-level margins or short-term refinery outages beyond broad references—so claims about exact causes of local differences are not found in current reporting [1] [4].
7. Bottom line for readers and reporters
If you need a single reference for “gas prices one year ago,” use the data series that matches your question: AAA or GasBuddy for headline national weekly snapshots (near $3.02–$3.03 in early December 2024) and EIA or regional BLS/BTS tables for range and historical monthly context (Gulf Coast ~$2.55 to West Coast ~$4.03 on Dec. 1, 2024; December regional averages around $3.188 in New York) [1] [4] [3]. Different sources tell consistent stories about a December 2024 national average near $3 but also make clear regional variation was large [1] [4] [2].