Even as gasoline inventories fell by a substantial 3.3 million barrels in the Northeast last week, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), stocks still sit squarely above levels seen in the past two years and are just shy of the five-year average. The significant drop last week was due in large part to a brief shutdown of refinery operations at Phillips 66’s Bayway refinery in Linden, New Jersey, after severe thunderstorms knocked out power and caused flooding issues. The refinery is a critical source of gasoline for the region.
Demand for gasoline, meanwhile, climbed last week to 8.967 million barrels a day — an increase of nearly 500,000 barrels a day from the previous week, according to the EIA. The figure is more in line with expectations for this phase of the summer driving season but is not high enough to raise concerns about impact on supply.
Another factor weighing down pump prices is the cost of crude oil, which settled at a three-week low Friday as markets remain unsure about the strength of the global economy.
“Typically, a refinery outage like the recent incident at the Bayway refinery in New Jersey could cause price spikes at the pump,” said Jillian Young, director of public relations for AAA Northeast. “Thanks to the region’s healthy gasoline inventories, the potential price increases did not materialize, and drivers are still enjoying seasonably low prices compared to last year.”
AAA Northeast’s July 28 survey of fuel prices found the national average unchanged from last week ($3.14), averaging $3.14 per gallon. The national average price was 5 cents lower than a month ago ($3.19) and 46 cents lower than this day last year ($3.50).
| Region | Current Price* | One Week Ago | One Month Ago | One Year Ago |
| Connecticut | $3.11 | $3.12 | $3.18 | $3.55 |
| Massachusetts | $3.04 | $3.05 | $3.08 | $3.47 |
| New Jersey | $3.02 | $3.05 | $3.18 | $3.39 |
| New York | $3.16 | $3.17 | $3.21 | $3.60 |
| Rhode Island | $3.01 | $3.03 | $3.06 | $3.42 |
*Prices as of July 28, 2025
As of July 28, Mississippi and Oklahoma had the lowest prices in the nation at $2.70 and $2.72, respectively. Hawaii and California held the highest prices in the nation at $4.48 and $4.47, respectively.
The AAA Gas Prices website is your resource for up-to-date fuel price information. Search for average gas prices on national, state and metro levels by regular, plus, premium and diesel.
Based in Rhode Island, Jillian Young is AAA Northeast’s director of public relations. She regularly appears in local TV, radio and print media to discuss traffic safety, travel, insurance and more.
