The morning commute on the first workday of 2016 was the least expensive for the past seven years. Not since January 2009 has a gallon of gas cost less than $2 a gallon on the first working day of the year.

The current national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline, according to GasBuddy, is $1.987, down nearly a penny since Sunday and down nearly 21 cents a gallon compared with this date last year. In 2009, a gallon of gas cost $1.66 on average in the United States, but that was the middle of the financial crisis with jobs disappearing and prices crashing for many goods.

The 2015 national average for the year was $2.402 per gallon, compared with the 2014 yearly average of $3.342 per gallon. In 2012, the national yearly average was $3.605 per gallon, the highest yearly average ever.

GasBuddy reckons that U.S. drivers saved $134 billion at the pump compared with 2014 spending. Compared with 2012 spending, that was $162 billion lower in 2015.

The five states that experienced the largest drops compared with the first day of 2015 are:

• Hawaii, down 80 cents
• Vermont, down 56 cents
• Alaska, down 55 cents
• New York, down 50 cents
• Delaware, down 47 cents

California and Nevada begin 2016 with higher prices, up 23 cents and seven cents, respectively, due to refinery problems in California.

According to GasBuddy, the five states where gasoline is cheapest Monday are:

• Missouri, $1.702
• Oklahoma, $1.713
• Arkansas, $1.735
• South Carolina, $1.736
• Tennessee, $1.747

Gasoline is most expensive in five California metro areas: Los Angeles ($3.070), Orange County ($3.062), Ventura ($3.050) San Diego ($3.049) and Riverside ($3.016). The 15 cities with the most expensive gasoline are all in California.

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