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As oil prices have plummeted, so have gasoline prices, since the price of crude oil represents more than half the cost of a gallon of gasoline (see Chart 1).
In Janaury, the price for regular Minnesota gasoline dropped below $2 per gallon, more than $1 per gallon lower than a year earlier. Through the first week of February, Minnesota gasoline prices have picked up by about 20 cents per gallon, but are still about $1 per gallon lower than last year. Gas prices haven’t been consistently below $2 per gallon (other than a six-month period during the Great Recession) since 2004 and earlier.
As gasoline prices drop, consumers have more disposable income to spend on goods and services other than gas. According the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey data, a $1 per gallon decrease in gasoline prices over a year’s time could provide consumers with an additional $400 to $1,200, depending on how much they typically spend on gasoline (see Chart 2). Consumers with lower income tend to spend less on gasoline than those with higher income.
As a share of total expenditure, consumers in the highest income quintile spend a smaller share on gasoline and motor oil than those in lower quintiles (see Chart 3).
Retail sales data are not yet showing an impact from low gasoline prices. According to U.S. retail sales data, while gasoline prices and sales at gasoline stations dropped notably in December and January, there were only mild increases in U.S. retail sales after removing sales at auto dealers and gasoline stations. Consumers could be spending their extra disposable income on items not recorded in retail sales figures, such as utility, cable or medical bills, or putting it into savings.
