Average gas prices $1 per gallon lower than a year ago

Average gasoline prices across the country are fully $1 per gallon lower than they were a year ago, a sign of both the coronavirus pandemic's downward pressure on the economy and a recent glut of oil that flooded the market just as the pandemic exploded. 

AAA's gas price calculator states that a gallon of gasoline in the United States is currently selling for about $1.82. That's a drop of over one dollar from last year's rate of $2.83 per gallon at the same time. 

The sharp drop in prices has been driven in part by the coronavirus pandemic in this country, which has reduced travel to historic lows. Statewide lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, bans on "nonessential" businesses and fears of coronavirus infection have brought much of American commerce and recreation to a halt, leading to steeply reduced gas consumption. 

At the same time, a recent price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia led to a major glut of oil on the market, further driving prices downward. The price per barrel of crude oil on Friday fell to a near-20 year low of $17.31. 

The dropoff in prices was even more noticeable in states with historically high gasoline prices. Last year the California average for a gallon of gas was $4.01; it now stands at $2.81. Alaska's prices also dropped sharply, from $3.23 a year ago to $2.11 today. In Minnesota in recent weeks, some gas stations have been selling fuel for less than a dollar a gallon.