SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - With winter nearly in the rearview, temperatures warmed up while gas prices cooled down. Last week, gas prices dropped by three cents, bringing the national average to $3.12 per gallon.

Gas prices are expected to remain steady as March arrives and routine seasonal maintenance wraps up.

On Feb. 27, California drivers saw an average price of $4.81, a three-cent drop from two weeks ago.

Fuel prices throughout the state on Feb. 27 included San Francisco at $5.05, Oakland at $4.98, San Jose at $4.91, Sacramento at $4.95, Fresno at $4.82 and Stockton at $4.77.

Regarding the Oil Market Dynamics, at the close of the Feb. 26 formal trading session, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose $2.54 to settle at $80.04 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that crude oil inventories decreased by 2 million barrels from the previous week. At 412.7 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 6% below the five-year average for this time of year.

A quick analysis of gas stats shows that the nation’s Top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($4.81), Hawaii ($4.54), Washington ($4.14), Nevada ($3.84), Oregon ($3.76), Alaska ($3.46), Arizona ($3.40), Pennsylvania ($3.33), Washington, D.C. ($3.25) and Illinois ($3.24).

The nation's Top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Mississippi ($2.67), Texas ($2.69), Oklahoma ($2.73), Kentucky ($2.74), Louisiana ($2.76), Arkansas ($2.78), Alabama ($2.78), South Carolina ($2.79), North Carolina ($2.80) and Tennessee ($2.80).

Taking a glance at the electricity stats in the nation shows that the Top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Hawaii (55 cents), West Virginia (47 cents), Montana (45 cents), Idaho (42 cents), Arkansas (42 cents), New Hampshire (42 cents), Tennessee (42 cents), Kentucky (41 cents), Alaska (41 cents) and South Carolina (41 cents).

The nation’s Top 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Kansas (22 cents), Nebraska (24 cents), Maryland (25 cents), Missouri (25 cents), Delaware (28 cents), Iowa (28 cents), Texas (29 cents), Michigan (29 cents), Utah (29 cents) and North Dakota (30 cents).