Gas Prices Fall Nationally for 4th Straight Week

Wholesale egg prices have fallen by more than 47 percent since Jan. 21.

A person puts gas in his car at a gas station in Greenville, S.C., on Feb. 3, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

U.S. gas prices continued their downward trend for a fourth straight week, with prices currently hovering at about $3 per gallon, according to gas price tracking website GasBuddy.

“The national average is now $3.02/gal, while diesel averages $3.56/gal,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a March 17 post on social media platform X. “The most common price for gas: $2.99. For diesel, $3.69/gal. 34 states see average #gasprices below $3.”

Data from GasBuddy show that the U.S. national monthly prices of gas at the beginnings of February and March were lower than last year’s prices, and also lower than at the same time in 2023.

As of 6:55 p.m. ET on March 18, nationwide average gas prices were down by 9.9 cents from a month back and by 42.4 cents from a year ago.

Prices were mostly higher in Western states such as California, Washington, Nevada, and Oregon. A gallon of gas costs more than $4 in Washington and California.

The lowest prices were largely in the Southern states, such as Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, where gas costs less than $2.70 per gallon.

In a March 17 statement on the situation, the White House said that President Donald Trump is “delivering needed economic relief.”

“After years of soaring prices and economic pain, the Trump Administration’s focus on cutting regulations and unleashing American energy is leading to stability for Americans’ bottom lines,” the White House stated.

The highest nationwide average price of gas this year so far is $3.17 per gallon on Feb. 20. The lowest average price so far is $3.02 on March 17.

Since 2008, the highest-ever average price registered was on June 16, 2022, at $5.03 per gallon.

Trump, who campaigned on boosting U.S. energy production, issued a presidential action on his first day back in office to “encourage energy exploration and production on Federal lands and waters” to meet the nation’s energy needs and “solidify the United States as a global energy leader long into the future.”

The following day, the Department of Energy revoked a Biden-era regulation that restricted the export of liquefied natural gas, paving the way for increased capacity and strengthening of the sector.

In February, federal regulators approved the construction of a deepwater port off the coast of Texas that is expected to ship up to 2 million barrels per day of crude oil to global markets.

The March 17 White House statement also highlighted the decline in egg prices.

“On January 21, 2025, the wholesale price for eggs was $6.55/dozen; today, it’s $3.45/dozen—a $3.10/dozen (-47.3 percent) decrease,” it said. “The average wholesale price for eggs has declined for three straight weeks.”

A combination of bird flu countermeasures and inflation had caused a surge in egg prices. In late February, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins introduced a $1 billion initiative to combat bird flu and bring down egg prices.

The plan sets aside $500 million for biosecurity measures, $400 million to be provided as relief for farmers affected by the flu outbreaks, and $100 million for research on vaccines, as well as attempts to ease regulatory burdens in the sector by exploring temporary import options.

On March 11, Rollins told reporters that although egg prices had lowered, they could rise again during the Easter season because of high demand.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a news briefing that Rollins was being “honest and realistic with the American people” on the issue of egg prices. “It will take about three to six months to get the egg supply back where it should be,” she said.