DeKALB – The long-awaited relief has arrived, as gas prices continue their incremental decline, drivers could have additional opportunities to save. 

A recent GasBuddy survey encompassing 4,378 stations across the state, revealed that prices per gallon were 4.9 cents lower compared to a month ago and 10.1 cents lower compared to the same period last year. 

Nationally, the average diesel price has seen an increase of 9.6 cents per gallon within the past week, reaching $4.435 per gallon. As of yesterday, there’s a $2.05 difference between the most and least expensive gas stations in Illinois. The most expensive gas station peaked at $5.29 per gallon while the least costly station was $3.24 per gallon.

In the past three years, the price has wavered multiple dollars. In 2022, it was $4.10 per gallon in Illinois and $3.75 per gallon across the country. In 2021, gas prices in Illinois were set at $3.29 per gallon and $3.18 per gallon in the rest of the U.S. The same trend is conclusive for 2020, where prices were set at $2.26 per gallon in the state and $2.21 per gallon for the rest of the country. 

GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan, believes a switch to winter gasoline could contribute to this trend. 

“With the switch back to winter gasoline less than two weeks away, we could eventually see more downward pressure on gas prices,” De Haan said.