Ouch: We’re Now Paying the Most for Gas in Seven Years in Minnesota
If you haven't noticed, gas prices have steadily climbed here in Minnesota and we're now paying the most we've paid in seven years.
Talk about pain at the pump! (Yes, that phrase is a cliche-- but it's the law that I need to include it in any story about gas prices.) Gas prices are the highest they've been here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes since 2014.
In fact, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, back in October of 2014, a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Minnesota was selling for $3.16. And, as of mid-morning on Thursday (Oct 7th), GasBuddy.com says prices for unleaded range anywhere from $3.09 to $3.14 a gallon in Rochester and across southeast Minnesota.
CNBC says gas prices are a whole dollar higher now than they were last year in October, thanks to a rise in oil prices. Crude oil, which a year ago traded for around $40 a barrel, is now trading at over $77 a barrel-- and those increases are being passed on to you and me when we fill up.
And, CNBC says prices could keep heading up, especially as we head into the cold-weather winter season, which will likely increase demand for petroleum even more.
The good news, if you can call it that, is that prices in southeast Minnesota right now are still between 5 and 10 cents cheaper than the national average, which CNBC says is $3.22 a gallon.
And, it's still way cheaper here in Minnesota than in some parts of the country, like in Mono County, California, east of San Francisco. Prices there have topped $5 a gallon, according to CNBC!
No matter what we're paying for gas right now, though, it was still waaaay cheaper when we all first got our driver's licenses. Remember what we paid back then? Keep scrolling to see what the price of gas was when you first started driving.
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LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving
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