(GasBuddy) For the second straight week, the national average price of gasoline has inched up, rising 1.4 cents compared to a week ago, and stands at $3.17 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy® data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average is down 15.4 cents from a month ago and is 63.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 1.2 cents in the last week and stands at $3.54 per gallon. “Another week brings a mixed bag at the gas pump, with gas prices declining in slightly more than half of U.S. states while others have seen increases due to some refinery snags and maintenance that have emerged, temporarily delaying declines in some areas. Meanwhile, GasBuddy data shows 18 states with sub-$3 per gallon average gas prices, a count that should certainly rise over the next few weeks,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “While Hurricane Helene left feet of rain behind and some states are seeing challenges in getting gasoline to stations, the storm did not broadly impact fuel production. For now, with oil prices falling back below $70 per barrel, the national average may be a bit stuck in the low $3s until fall maintenance wraps up, which could help bring a sub-$3 national average later this fall.” OIL MARKETS Crude oil prices have returned to their struggle after news reports last week indicated that the Saudis are preparing to restore oil production in a bid to recapture market share after cutting its oil production over a year ago. Meanwhile, China’s economic news was getting brighter after Beijing’s attempts to shore up its economy took a step up in recent days, but it wasn’t enough to reverse oil’s recent challenges. Even additional tensions in the Middle East haven’t riled up oil markets with a weekly drop last week. In early Monday trading, WTI crude oil was up 20 cents to $68.38 per barrel, down nearly $3 from last week’s $71.12 per barrel start. Brent crude oil was down 20 cents in early trade to $71.78 per barrel, also nearly $3 lower than last week’s $74.51 per barrel start. OIL AND REFINED PRODUCTS Last week’s report from the EIA showed a large 4.5 million barrel drop in U.S. oil inventories, which stand 5% below the five-year average for this time of year. The SPR rose 1.3 million barrels and stands at 381.9 million, while domestic crude oil production stood at 13.2 million barrels per day, 300,000bpd higher than a year ago. Gasoline inventories fell by 1.5 million barrels and stand 1% below the five-year average for this time of year. Distillate inventories fell 2.2 million barrels to a level 9% below the five-year average, while implied gasoline demand, EIA’s proxy for retail demand rose to 9.21 million barrels, a significantly higher figure than GasBuddy’s real gasoline demand showed. Refinery utilization fell 1.2 percentage points to 90.1% as refineries ramped up seasonal maintenance. FUEL DEMAND According to GasBuddy demand data driven by its Pay with GasBuddy™ fuel card, U.S. retail gasoline demand saw a drop of 0.7% for the week ending September 28 (Sun-Sat). Broken down by PADD region, demand fell 1.2% in PADD 1, fell 2.5% in PADD 2, rose 3.7% in PADD 3, rose 0.8% in PADD 4, and rose 1.2% in PADD 5. GasBuddy models U.S. gasoline demand at 8.61 million barrels per day. GAS PRICE TRENDS The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $3.19 per gallon, up 20 cents from last week, followed by $2.99, $2.89, $3.29, and $3.09 rounding out the top five most common prices. The median U.S. gas price is $3.09 per gallon, up 4 cents from last week and about 8 cents lower than the national average. The top 10% of stations in the country average $4.38 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.56 per gallon. The states with the lowest average prices: Mississippi ($2.64), Louisiana ($2.67), Texas ($2.69). The states with the highest average prices: California ($4.61), Hawaii ($4.51), and Washington ($3.99). Biggest weekly changes: Delaware (+19.4¢), Maryland (+16.3¢), Ohio (+10.9), Michigan (+10.7¢), New Mexico (-8.9¢) DIESEL PRICE TRENDS The most common U.S. diesel price stood at $3.39 per gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $3.49, $3.59, $3.29, and $3.69 rounding out the top five most common prices. The median U.S. diesel price is $3.44 per gallon, unchanged from last week and about 10 cents lower than the national average for diesel. Diesel prices at the top 10% of stations in the country average $4.44 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.87 per gallon. The states with the lowest average diesel prices: Texas ($2.98), Mississippi ($3.15), and Louisiana ($3.16). The states with the highest average diesel prices: Hawaii ($5.29), California ($4.84), and Washington ($4.30). Biggest weekly changes: Alaska (-15.3¢), Rhode Island (-9.9¢), Delaware (+7.2¢), Maryland (+7.2¢), New Mexico (-7.2¢).