Pump prices fell steeply again last week, marking the eighth consecutive week of sharp declines. In Massachusetts, the average price for unleaded regular gas at self-service pumps dropped by nearly 17 cents in the seven-day span ending Wednesday, according to figures compiled by the auto club AAA. In New Hampshire, the seven-day price drop approached 20 cents per gallon.
Gasoline prices in Massachusetts and New Hampshire have fallen by about 90 cents in the last month alone. Since their peak at more than $4 per gallon in July, the average price in both states has decreased by about $1.75 per gallon, AAA figures show. As of this weekend, regional prices for self-service regular stood comfortably below $2.25 per gallon.
The Massachusetts average fell to $2.232 on Wednesday, compared to $2.399 one week earlier, according to AAA. Wednesday's price was 77 cents lower than the Bay State average on the same day last year, which AAA put at $3.002.
New Hampshire drivers paid an average of $2.270 on Wednesday, about 19 cents below the prior Wednesday's average of $2.464, according to the auto club. Wednesday's Granite State average was 73 cents below the $3.000 figure recorded on the same day of 2007.
Across the country, the national average price for self-service regular gas reached $2.202 on Wednesday, a 16-cent drop from the $2.365 reported seven days earlier. On the same day of 2007, the AAA coast-to-coast average was $3.105, or 90 cents higher than Wednesday's average, AAA reported.
