Gas Prices Trending Downward — At Least for Now, According to First-Hand Federal and AAA Data

BUCKHANNON, WV — December 5, 2025

The AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (AAA) reports today’s national average for regular gasoline at $2.978 per gallon, a number collected directly from daily pricing data sourced from up to 130,000 retail stations nationwide. AAA’s methodology uses point-of-sale feeds, credit-card swipes, and station-reported pump prices to produce real-time national, state, and local averages. Because it is a direct-source system, AAA’s daily national average is considered the most immediate real-world picture of what Americans are actually paying at the pump on any given day. With today’s figure falling below $3.00, the national average sits at one of its lowest points in several years, marking a clear downward movement — at least for now — compared to the high-price periods that defined much of 2022 and 2023.

Federal data from the U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION (EIA) confirms that this trend did not emerge overnight. EIA’s weekly U.S. retail gasoline reports show a consistent decline over recent weeks, with national averages hovering around the low-three-dollar range before dipping further toward the exact AAA figure now standing below $3. This drop aligns with several measurable market conditions that federal reports have documented: lower crude-oil benchmarks in the fall months, stable refinery output, seasonal declines in consumer demand, and an easing of some distribution and supply constraints that contributed to elevated prices in earlier years. The combination of these factors is reflected directly in the federal retail-price series, which shows a softening of pump prices across much of the country.

To understand how meaningful this decline is, the clearest historical comparisons come from the Obama-era years (2012–2016) and the most recent set of years (2021–2024), using first-hand records maintained by the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) and the EIA. According to the Department of Energy’s Fact #915, which lists annual average U.S. gasoline prices from 1929–2015, the national average in 2012 stood at approximately $3.64 per gallon, marking the highest annual average in the entire 1929–2015 dataset in both current and inflation-adjusted dollars. In 2013, the national average was approximately $3.53 per gallon, followed by 2014 at around $3.37 per gallon. These three consecutive years remained firmly above the three-dollar threshold, demonstrating sustained nationwide high-price conditions long before the pandemic-era spikes of the 2020s. The DOE data then shows a notable shift in 2015, when the national average fell to roughly $2.45 per gallon, driven largely by global overproduction and depressed crude prices that defined that year. Federal datasets based on EIA numbers place 2016 at approximately $2.14 per gallon, making 2016 one of the cheaper gasoline years of the modern era.

The picture for the most recent years, sourced from national annual averages built from EIA data, looks markedly different from the mid-2010s lows. In 2021, the national average was about $3.01 per gallon as demand recovered after the pandemic recession. In 2022, the United States saw some of the highest annual gas prices in recent history, with a national average of roughly $3.95 per gallon, reflecting global supply shocks and energy-market disruptions. The national average in 2023 moderated slightly to around $3.52 per gallon, while 2024 averaged approximately $3.30 per gallon nationwide. These four years — all above the three-dollar mark — trace a clear arc of elevated prices relative to the historical lows of 2015 and 2016 and relative to many earlier periods of the past two decades.

Placed against these historical benchmarks, today’s AAA-verified average of $2.978 stands out as genuinely lower than every annual average from 2021–2024 and lower than the Obama-era years of 2012–2014. It is, however, still above the unusually low levels of 2015 and 2016, years defined by global oil oversupply and depressed crude benchmarks. What today’s number shows, using only first-hand data, is that the United States is currently in a lower-price window relative to most recent years, and that the present dip is part of a measurable downward trend reflected in both AAA’s daily pricing and the EIA’s weekly retail fuel indices.

National averages do not erase regional differences. AAA’s state-level data shows that some states, such as California, continue to report averages in the mid-$4 range, while other states, particularly in the Midwest and South, frequently report statewide averages below the national number. Those variations reflect state-specific tax structures, regional transportation distances, distribution costs, and differences in local boutique fuel blends. But regardless of regional variation, the national average remains the clearest single number representing what Americans pay overall, and that national number has now fallen below $3.

First-hand data also makes clear what this trend does and does not say. It shows that gas prices are lower today than in most of the past five years, and lower than many of the Obama-era years. It shows that pump prices are trending downward in the short term. It shows that the current national average is one of the lowest daily readings in years. What it does not do is predict future movement. Gas prices are highly sensitive to crude-oil markets, refinery maintenance cycles, storms, geopolitical events, and seasonal consumption patterns. The phrase “at least for now” accurately reflects this reality: today’s national average is verifiably lower, and the trend is downward, but long-term projections depend on factors outside the scope of raw price data.

Taken strictly on the basis of first-hand sources, AAA, the U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION, and the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, the facts stand plainly: the national average for regular gasoline today is under three dollars; the most recent four-year period (2021–2024) produced some of the highest annual averages in modern records; the 2012–2014 Obama-era years were also well above $3 per gallon; and today’s data reflects a measurable decline compared with those periods. All statements here are grounded solely in official price records without interpreting or assigning cause to any political or policy factor. The numbers describe themselves, and the numbers show a downward trend, at least for now, supported entirely by first-hand data.

This analysis isn’t meant to draw criticism on any era or administration, we don’t do that here at Appalachian Post nor do we condone it. We simply meant to give readers clear, data-driven context and to highlight that current first-hand federal and AAA records show a downward trend in national gas prices. We wish to inspire hope in a world littered with high prices, and the data shows a downward trend that, if continued, could show relief for the hurting wallets of millions of Americans, but we also must acknowledge that only time will tell, as that depends solely on future market trends.

The Appalachian Post is an independent West Virginia news outlet dedicated to clean, verified, first-hand reporting. We do not publish rumors. We do not run speculation. Every fact we present must be supported by original documentation, official statements, or direct evidence. When secondary sources are used, we clearly identify them and never treat them as first-hand confirmation. We avoid loaded language, emotional framing, or accusatory wording, and we do not attack individuals, organizations, or other news outlets. Our role is to report only what can be verified through first-hand sources and allow readers to form their own interpretations. If we cannot confirm a claim using original evidence, we state clearly that we reviewed first-hand sources and could not find documentation confirming it. Our commitment is simple: honest reporting, transparent sourcing, and zero speculation.

Sources

• AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (AAA) — National average gasoline price and daily fuel-price dataset
• U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION (EIA) — Weekly and annual U.S. retail gasoline price datasets
• U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) — Historical annual gasoline pump-price dataset (Fact #915)