Minneapolis-St. Paul Gas Prices Ease From Last Week, but Diesel Stays Above $5

Regular gasoline prices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro eased from a week earlier on Friday, July 31, while diesel moved higher over the same period and remained above $5 per gallon, according to AAA’s latest price check.

The metro average was $4.008 per gallon for regular gasoline and $5.133 per gallon for diesel. Those are Minneapolis-St. Paul metro averages, not the price at every station or in every Minneapolis neighborhood.

Regular gas is down for the week but higher than a month or year ago

AAA listed the regular-gas average 1.6 cents below the previous day and 11.4 cents below the previous week. The short-term decline has not erased larger increases over longer comparison periods.

The metro regular-gas average was 40.5 cents higher than a month earlier and 92.7 cents higher than a year earlier. For a driver filling a 15-gallon tank, the year-over-year difference works out to nearly $14 more per fill, before station-to-station price differences.

Diesel follows a different weekly trend

Diesel averaged $5.133 per gallon in the metro. It was down 1.1 cents from the previous day, but up 4.4 cents from a week earlier.

Diesel was also 43.6 cents higher than a month earlier and $1.447 higher than a year earlier. Remaining above $5 can matter especially for delivery trucks, contractor vehicles, maintenance fleets and other equipment that uses larger amounts of fuel.

EIA statewide figure provides a separate benchmark

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a Minnesota regular-gas average of $4.039 per gallon for the week of July 27. That is a statewide weekly benchmark, not a Minneapolis station price or a direct replacement for AAA’s daily metro figure.

The statewide EIA figure was about 3.1 cents above AAA’s July 31 Minneapolis-St. Paul metro average. Because the two sources use different schedules and coverage, the numbers are best viewed as related context rather than identical snapshots.

What the prices may mean locally

For Minneapolis-area households, regular gas just above $4 can put more pressure on commuting and weekend travel budgets, particularly for people driving long distances or making several trips each week. The weekly decline may offer some relief, but the average remains substantially above its levels from a month and a year earlier.

Diesel’s increase from the previous week may add pressure for delivery operators, contractors and service businesses that include fuel in their operating costs. Those expenses can affect route planning, job estimates and service pricing, although the available data does not document specific local business responses.

Prices can vary significantly across the metro. Drivers in Minneapolis and nearby communities should compare local pumps and check whether posted prices differ for cash, membership or other discounts.

What are the highest and lowest pump prices you are seeing locally? Share the station and neighborhood in the comments.

Sources

• AAA Fuel Prices — Minnesota
• U.S. Energy Information Administration — Minnesota Gasoline and Diesel Retail Prices
• FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul — Twin Cities gas prices rise to $3.93 per gallon