Average US price of gas spikes 13 cents per gallon to $3.44

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline spiked 13 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.44 per gallon.

The price at the pump is $1.22 higher than a year ago. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday the rise comes as the cost of crude oil surges.

AAA Carolinas reported the national average price for a gallon of regular gas to be $3.39 as of Sunday. South Carolina’s average price is below the U.S. average at $3.15, an increase of six cents in the past week and $1.26 more than last year.

The Charleston metro area’s average is slightly higher than the state as a whole, AAA reported. Charleston drivers are seeing an average price of $3.20 per gallon.

Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $4.65 per gallon. The lowest average is in Houston, at $2.91 per gallon.

The survey says the average price of diesel jumped 14 cents to $3.59 a gallon.

Copyright 2021 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.