Less pain at pump: Average per-gallon retail cost drops to $2.27 a gallon

　　The average price for all grades of gasoline nationwide has fallen nearly 4½ cents per gallon in two weeks because of a drop in crude oil prices and slightly lower demand, an industry analyst said Sunday.

　　The average retail price for all three grades dropped 4.46 cents to $2.27 per gallon between April 8 and Friday, said Trilby Lundberg, who publishes the semimonthly Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations around the country.

　　The most popular grade, self-serve regular, was priced at $2.24 a gallon, while customers paid $2.34 for midgrade. Premium averaged $2.44 a gallon for the period.

　　The drop comes after an average 19-cent jump in overall gas prices during the last survey, taken between March 18 and April 8.