The national gas price-per-gallon average of $3.62 is significantly higher than Milwaukee’s average of $3.35, according to gas price tracking website MilwaukeeGasPrices.com, as Milwaukee’s average gas price has fallen just more than 30 cents in two weeks and will likely continue to fall.
Gas prices have fallen statewide by $0.17 this week and have fallen in every state besides Wyoming and Washington, D.C. Even states with historically higher prices, such as Hawaii and California, are seeing dips.
“The national average has again seen a decrease in the last week, as California joins much of the rest of the United States in seeing lower prices,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, in a press release. “The fact that prices have stopped rising there has helped tip the national average lower. In the week ahead, we could continue to see declines as wholesale prices fell lower late last week, meaning gas stations have additional room to drop their prices.”
Milwaukee’s gas prices are now more than 40 cents below last month’s prices, which may bode well for students with cars on campus.
Only about 20 percent of Marquette students have cars on campus, according to a U.S. News & World Report college ranking statistic. Haley Jones, a freshman in the College of Business Administration, had her car on campus for a brief time before fall break.
“I didn’t buy gas,” Jones said. “It’s too expensive in the city.”
She did, however, appreciate the now lower gas prices, noticing a several-cent difference between here and Appleton, Wis., her home town.
Other students have found different ways to avoid paying large sums on gas. William Coons, a junior in the College of Business Administration, takes part in the Zipcar car-sharing service, which includes two vehicles on Marquette’s campus.
“I wanted to have access to a car but didn’t want the extra expenses,” Coons said.
The national average for gas prices has dropped for 13 consecutive days, the longest streak since July. AAA said it expects the national average to be between $3.40 and $3.50 on Election Day and between $3.25 and $3.40 on Thanksgiving Day.
