Cheaper gas prices expected in northern Illinois for Fourth of July

Average gas prices in many northern Illinois counties are expected to be cheaper than last year for the Fourth of July weekend as the cost of fuel continues to decline over the past several years.

The average cost of regular gas in the Chicago metro area is about $3.60 a gallon, down from about $4.07 a year ago, according to data Thursday from the American Automobile Association.

Across 12 counties in northern Illinois, La Salle County has the lowest average cost of fuel at about $3.16, while Cook County has the highest at about $3.68, according to AAA.

Nationally, average gas prices on Friday are expected to be $3.15 a gallon, down nearly 35 cents from last year’s July 4 average to the lowest Independence Day price since 2021, according to a news release on Monday from GasBuddy.

However, a modest increase in the Illinois’ motor fuel tax rate that went into effect Tuesday will add more cost for fuel.

The tax hike this year is tied to the annual inflation rate and amounts to about 2.76%, according to the Daily Herald.

That will increase the motor fuel tax rate on gasoline from 47 cents per gallon to 48.3 cents per gallon for regular gasoline, according to the Daily Herald.

Illinois has the second-highest motor fuel taxes in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation. California has the highest.

In a statement on Monday, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said with tensions in the Middle East “cooling off after a few weeks of volatility,” motorists this weekend will see gas prices drop in the run-up to the Fourth of July.

Molly Hart, spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said gas prices vary on a “couple of different things,” such as the price of a barrel of crude oil.

Hart said about 50% of what consumers pay at the pump is based on what a crude oil barrel costs. The higher the cost of a barrel, the more consumers pay.

Hart said that although gas prices increase during the summer, some people are not traveling and some people are doing one extended trip instead of a couple of trips.

“There’s a lot of different factors that go into what gas prices are. And, of course, any type of geopolitical and other events can make the gas prices swing, as well,” Hart said.

The White House praised the lower gas prices ahead of the holiday weekend and credited it with U.S. President Donald Trump delivering on his promises of “lower prices, stable inflation and higher wages.”

But lower fuel prices for 2025 were forecasted by GasBuddy about 20 days before Trump took office.

“Most Americans will see gas prices in the low-to-mid $3 range for summer,” De Haan said in a Dec. 31, 2024, video.

The company anticipated this year would mark the third consecutive year of declining gas prices since 2022, when the average price of gas rose above $5 per gallon.

In 2022, gas prices were soaring amid a “global decline in refining capacity” because of the COVID-19 pandemic and “accelerated demand going into the summer,” according to GasBuddy. The price of oil had also increased because of the Russian war on Ukraine, the company said.

“Since then, the Fed has raised interest rates to slow the economy, and supply and demand have become more balanced, with Russia and [Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries] continuing to produce millions of barrels of oil for the global market,” according to GasBuddy on Monday.

Costs by county

Here’s what average price for a gallon of gasoline for 12 northern counties in Illinois as of Thursday, from lowest to highest, according to AAA.

• Cook: $3.68

• DuPage: $3.50

• Will: $3.47

• Kendall: $3.45

• McHenry: $3.43

• Grundy: $3.35

• DeKalb: $3.35

• Whiteside: $3.35

• Kane: $3.35

• Kankakee: $3.27

• Ogle: $3.17

• LaSalle: $3.16

According to GasBuddy, the gas stations offering the cheapest regular fuel prices in Will, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Cook counties (as of Thursday) include:

• QuikTrip, 676 N. Weber Road, Romeoville — $3.05

• Exxon, 1300 Normantown Road, Romeoville — $3.05

• 7-Eleven, 1091 W. Weber Road, Bolingbrook — $3.05

• Sam’s Club, 1006 Rohlwing Road, Addison — $3.09

• Mobil, 1225 Devon Avenue, Bensenville — $3.09

• Gulf, 801 Illinois Route 83, Bensenville — $3.09

• Shell, 1851 N. Farnsworth Avenue, Aurora — $3.09

• Shell, 1505 Butterfield Road, Aurora — $3.09

• Amoco, 339 W. Virginia St., Crystal Lake — $3.15

• Costco, 250 N. Randall Road, Lake in the Hills — $3.15

• Citgo, 6347 W. Roosevelt Road, Berwyn — $2.94

• Sam’s Club, 603 River Oaks W., Calumet City — $3.05