After three weeks of steady growth, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in California reached $6 per gallon, a first for the state and the US.
According to AAA, California’s average was $6.06 on Thursday.
Orange and Los Angeles counties each topped $6 at the end of March before prices plummeted. This week, the average price broke a new record on Wednesday and again on Thursday and climbed up to $6.07 and $6.09 respectively.
According to Andrew Gross, AAA’s national public relations manager, the high cost of crude has driven up pump prices. On Wednesday, the price of a barrel of Brent crude fell by $2.82 to $109.11. Brent crude is the global oil benchmark, accounting for about 80% of the world’s crude.
According to data from AAA and the Oil Price Information Service, the average price for regular gas is 32.3 cents in LA and 36.5 cents in Orange County.
The previous record high of $6.07 for LA County was set on March 28, while the previous record high for Orange County was $6.029 on March 29.
The average price of the Inland Empire continued to climb closer to the $6 mark. In Riverside and San Berardino counties, the average price reached $5.98 on Thursday. In Riverside, prices rose 4.2 cents in a day, breaking a 50-day record. The county’s previous high was set at $5.971 on March 29.
The national average price hit a record for the 10th day in a row, rising 2.2 cents to $4.589.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the price of crude oil is slightly more than half the price of the pump. The rest of the price includes other components of gasoline, production costs, distribution costs, overhead costs for everyone involved in production, distribution and sales, taxes paid by refineries in California, and carbon offset fees.
