BOISE, Idaho — During the first week of November, average gasoline prices around Idaho have fallen by less than a nickel per gallon of regular unleaded, and the average for Boise dropped by less than two cents. The price of diesel, however, continued to go up.
The statewide Idaho average of about $4.30 reported Monday by AAA is 50 cents higher than the national average of $3.80 per gallon of regular unleaded. The Idaho average dropped by nearly four cents compared to what AAA reported on Oct. 31 and is 95 cents below the record high reported on July 1, but it is 60 cents higher than the average for a year ago, Nov. 7, 2021.
Looking county-by-county, according to AAA, average prices around Idaho ranged from $4.06 per gallon in Bonneville County to $4.87 in Boise County. Prices in Ada, Canyon, Gem and Elmore counties are right around the statewide average.
The weekly report from GasBuddy shows the average price in the city of Boise was $4.28 per gallon of regular unleaded on Monday, down 1.8 cents in the past week. A survey of 216 stations in the city shows prices range from $4.13 to $4.39 per gallon.
The national average for regular unleaded gasoline increased from $3.76 to $3.80 per gallon from Oct. 31 to Nov. 7.
"Just over half of the nation's 50 states saw gasoline prices rise last week, pulling the national average back up for the time being due to big jumps in the Great Lakes and continued increases in New England and mid-Atlantic states," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "For now, the rise in the Great Lakes, brought on by tight supply, has already started to ease, and declines should start again."
While November has begun with gasoline prices dropping slightly in Idaho, those who fuel up with diesel aren't getting any breaks. GasBuddy reports a national average of $5.32 per gallon. AAA put the national average at $5.34 per gallon and the Idaho average at $5.44, 10 cents higher than it was on Oct. 31.
"National diesel supply remains tight, but supplies of diesel did see a slight rise last week. The majority of stations, especially away from the East Coast and Northeast, should have very few issues with diesel supply, though some stations in those regions could see diesel delivery times slip," De Haan said. "Brief outages at a limited number of stations are possible, but with refineries continuing to churn out product and maintenance wrapping up, I'm optimistic the situation will improve."
A warning regarding the diesel supply made headlines in late October when the U.S. Department of Energy reported data showing a supply of just 25 days remained on hand. That doesn't mean the country will run out of diesel soon. The metric measures the days' worth of of supply remaining if the U.S. were to completely stop producing or importing oil. Still, tight supply and high prices for diesel don't bode well for the economy, as diesel is the fuel for many of the trucks, trains and ships that transport goods and raw materials bought and sold around the country.
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