Here in NJ we're paying around 2.85. Some places are less some are more. (Like one out of the way place was 3.14 last week.) NJ actually has many oil refineries, due to Port Elizabeth which is a large center of incoming everything. States determine what the taxes are on gasoline and those are seperate taxes from sales tax and the alike. Most of the time pump owners make the same amount in profits regardless of the price per gallon. In Europe they have a different taxes on gasoline, which is one of the reasons it costs more there. I have not experienced it yet, but I have heard and read that in Europe they overall have good public transportation, unlike NJ and many rural areas. Here its easier and cheaper to own and drive a car everywhere. It was a whole study in the NJ paper. The large hurricanes of seasons past caused gas prices to go up because they damaged oil rigges in the Gulf of Mexico. I'm not sure if they have all been brought back to a pre- Katrina state.