(Bloomberg) – U.S. gasoline consumption is set to climb to a record this summer as the lowest pump prices in more than a decade encourage Americans to take to the roads.
Demand, which typically peaks between the Memorial Day holiday in late May and Labor Day in early September, will average a record 9.5 million barrels during the second and third quarters, up from 9.48 million forecast in May, the Energy Information Administration said in its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook released Tuesday. The average retail price for regular-grade gasoline this summer is forecast at $2.27 per gallon, more than the $2.21 estimated in May but down from $2.63 during the 2015 summer driving season.
|Gas prices expected to be lowest in 12 years
"Even with higher crude oil prices passed on to consumers at the pump, summer retail gasoline prices are still expected to be the lowest in 12 years," EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski said in an e-mailed statement. "Despite the recent rise in gasoline prices, summer gasoline demand is forecast to reach a record 9.5 million barrels per day."
While crude prices in New York have jumped 90% from a 12-year low earlier this year as traders estimate the market is coming into balance, the commodity is still worth less than half its peak in mid-2014. The EIA raised its crude price forecasts as falling U.S. output and unplanned disruptions elsewhere limit supply while demand grows.
|Production decline
"Low oil prices continue to cut into domestic oil production, with U.S. monthly oil output not expected to start steadily increasing until the end of 2017," Sieminski said. "The decline in U.S. May oil production is expected to be the largest drop in monthly output since Hurricane Ike knocked out a big chunk of offshore oil production in September 2008."
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.