California Gas Prices Tick Up Slightly In New Year

Sonora, CA – The national average of a gallon of gas is stuck in neutral at $3.06 for a gallon of self-serve regular that has not budged since last week. California’s average price rose slightly while the Mother Lode was a mixed bag.

The state’s median pump price increased four cents from last week to $4.38, which is the same average cost in Northern California but a difference of a 3-cent increase from last week. As reported here last month, this region of the state saw the biggest drop heading into the holidays, with an average price of $4.34. Prices in the Mother Lode are mostly lower than that.

In Tuolumne County, the Arco am/pm on Pesce Way in Sonora is below that with the lowest cash-only price of $3.85. Calaveras County gas prices are hovering around $3.99. The highest price in both counties is $4.59, topping the state average by 25 cents. Find local gas prices by clicking here and anytime by going to the mymotherlode.com homepage and clicking on traffic, then click on local gas prices above the traffic map.

AAA notes that the United States continues to produce more crude oil than any other country. The EIA also reported that the U.S. produced more crude oil than any other nation in the six years 2018–2023. Last year’s numbers are still being crunched, but the trend will likely continue, advised AAA. It points to crude oil production in the nation that averaged 12.9 million barrels per day in 2023, breaking the previous U.S. and global record of 12.3 million in 2019.