R.I., Mass. gas prices down; top $3 for 1000th consecutive day

THE NATIONAL AVERAGE price of gasoline will surpass $3 per gallon for the 1,000th consecutive day on Sept. 17 for the first time on record, according to AAA Southern New England.  / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/DAVID PAUL MORRIS
THE NATIONAL AVERAGE price of gasoline will surpass $3 per gallon for the 1,000th consecutive day on Sept. 17 for the first time on record, according to AAA Southern New England. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/DAVID PAUL MORRIS

PROVIDENCE – Gasoline prices dropped in Rhode Island and Massachusetts this week but remained higher than the national average, according to the weekly survey by AAA Southern New England.

A gallon of self-serve, unleaded regular gas averaged $3.69 in Rhode Island in the Sept. 16 survey, 3 cents less than the price a week ago.

In Massachusetts, the average price for self-serve, unleaded regular gas this week was $3.58 per gallon, a decrease of 8 cents per gallon over last week.

Rhode Island’s average price of $3.69 comes in 8 cents lower than the average a month ago, while in Massachusetts, local gas prices are 6 cents lower than last month’s. A year ago, the same gas cost $3.98 per gallon in Rhode Island and $3.90 per gallon in Massachusetts.

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Self-serve, unleaded regular varied in price from $3.57 to $3.91 across the Ocean State in the survey. The average per-gallon prices for different grades of gas ranged from $3.92 for mid-grade unleaded to $4.04 for premium unleaded to $3.99 for diesel.

Self-serve, unleaded regular ranged in price across Massachusetts from $3.40 to $3.80 per gallon. Mid-grade unleaded averaged $3.81 this week, while premium unleaded cost an average of $3.93 per gallon and diesel posted an average price of $3.96 per gallon.

Prices in both states remain above this week’s national average of $3.51 for a gallon of unleaded regular.

The national average price of gasoline will surpass $3 per gallon for the 1,000th consecutive day on Sept. 17 for the first time on record, according to AAA Southern New England. The current streak began on Dec. 23, 2010.

AAA forecasts the national average will remain above $3 per gallon for at least another thousand days barring a major economic recession.

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