Mar 3, 2021 - Economy
2021: Post-pandemic high for gas prices
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Gas prices are hitting new post-pandemic highs across the country, but this isn't a story of America reopening. It's really just a function of the price of oil going up.
- By the numbers: Gasoline cost $2.71 on average as of Monday, per the EIA. The highest average price was $3.59 in Los Angeles, while the lowest was $2.33 in Houston.
- All of these prices represent the highest level seen since 2019.
The big picture: The price of crude oil reflects more than half of the cost of a gallon of gasoline. (The rest is refinery costs, distribution costs, and taxes.)
- Demand for oil has actually been declining, per the New York Fed, but supply has been falling even faster, with the result that prices have now topped $64 for a barrel of Brent crude.
