Explainer: Why Gas Prices in Illinois, Nationwide Have Shown ‘Resistance' to Declines

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After seeing some declines because of reduced demand for fuel and oil in China and in the United States, gas prices have stagnated in recent days, leaving millions of Americans shelling out more and more money at the pump.

According to consumer group AAA, the current national average is $4.246 per gallon. In Illinois, that number is nearly a quarter higher at $4.494 per gallon.

AAA says that the price of a gallon of gas has gone down just one cent in the last week, and the story is similar in Illinois, with fuel prices dropping by $.012 cents per gallon in the last seven days.

 The consumer group says that the largely-stagnant gas prices can be blamed on oil prices, which have stabilized at around $110 per barrel even with reduced demand in China due to COVID restrictions. Demand in the United States has also dropped for the second straight week, which the group says flies in the face of a traditional increase in driving as the spring moves along.

Volatility caused by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is helping to keep oil prices high, according to experts.

“The global oil market reflects the volatility caused by the war in Ukraine grinding onward,” spokesperson Molly Hart said. “And with oil prices refusing to fall, the price at the pump is likewise meeting resistance at dropping further.

That resistance is also occurring at the local level as well. In the Chicago-metro area, the price of fuel has actually increased by one-tenth of a cent in the last week, while the price of fuel has gone up by almost four cents a gallon in the city.

 In Elgin, the price of fuel has dropped by more than two cents a gallon, according to officials with AAA.

The one area where gas prices have actually dropped by a significant amount is in Kankakee, where the average price of a gallon of fuel has gone down by more than six cents a gallon in the last seven days.

A second and even larger gas giveaway took place across parts of Chicago and several surrounding suburbs Thursday morning as businessman Willie Wilson offers up $1 million in free gas.

Kankakee County also has the distinction of having the cheapest gas, on average, in northeast Illinois. The average price of a gallon of gas in the county is currently $4.348, while in neighboring Will County, that number is at $4.426 per gallon.

Here are the latest prices in the metro areas contained in the NBC 5 viewing area.

Chicago Metro Area:

Current Average - $4.617

One Week Ago- $4.616

City of Chicago:

Current Average - $4.868

One Week Ago - $4.829

Elgin:

Current Average - $4.469

One Week Ago - $4.492

Kankakee and Bradley:

Current Average - $4.348

One Week Ago - $4.412

Rockford:

Current Average - $4.391

One Week Ago - $4.418

Here are the latest average prices by county, according to AAA:

DeKalb County: $4.536

DuPage County: $4.475

Grundy County: $4.478  

Kane County: $4.445

Kankakee County: $4.348

Kendall County: $4.342

Lake County: $4.380

LaSalle County: $4.380

McHenry County: $4.381

Will County: $4.426

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