Gasoline prices: Monthly data trumps year-to-year

HONOLULU — Even though the price of crude oil went down in June, Hawai‘i drivers are, on average, paying more for gasoline compared to the same time last year. They are also paying more than one-fourth what drivers are paying nationally, yet gas consumption in Hawai‘i has increased.

That is based on year-to-year data from a report recently released by the state Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

According to June 2012 data comparing prices to June 2011, the crude oil price at the New York Mercantile Exchange was $82.41 per barrel or 14.4 percent lower.

At the same time, the price of a gallon of regular gas in Hawai‘i in June 2012 averaged $4.41, or 8.9 percent higher than in June 2011. Hawai‘i drivers also paid 26.4 percent higher gas prices in June than the national average for the same month last year.

The national average price in June 2012 for regular gas was $3.489 per gallon, down 4.9 percent from June 2011.

Gas consumption in Hawai‘i in April 2012 (the most recent data) also increased to 36.7 million gallons, or 4.6 percent higher than in April 2011.

Of  the gas consumed, Honolulu used 54.7 percent, Maui used 13 percent, the Big Island used 25.9 percent and Kaua‘i used 6.4 percent.

Previous month comparisons look more positive. The crude oil price in June was down $12.31 per barrel, or 13 percent less than in May.

Hawai‘i’s gas prices in June also decreased 13.8 cents per gallon, or 3 percent less than in May.

Nationally, the average price for regular gasoline in June was down 6 percent from May.

Even though Kaua‘i had the second-highest gas price in the state in June, the average price of gas on Kaua‘i was $4.70 per gallon, almost 2 percent less than the previous month.

Wailuku, Maui, had the highest price at $4.82 per gallon, followed by Kaua‘i, then Hilo at $4.48 and O‘ahu at $4.27.