Drivers in Bladen County continue to see comparatively low gas prices, but experts say prices won’t stay low for long.
Photo courtesy of AAA
ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County drivers have been seeing some fluctuations in gas prices over the last several days with prices 10 days ago sitting at $3.22/gal. As of yesterday, prices were sitting at an average of $3.15 in Elizabethtown and $3.22 in Bladen County.
While the price of gas has dropped below the $3 mark at some gas stations in the past couple of months, Elizabethtown hasn’t seen gas below $3 since March.
The average price of gas in the greater Bladen County area was slightly higher at $3.22 per gallon — still well below both the state average ($3.30) and the national average ($3.52)
In fact, Elizabethtown drivers are enjoying some of the lowest gasoline prices in the country. Gas stations along the Gulf Coast have historically posted the lowest prices in the country.
“Despite a notable cratering in gas demand in the days since the July 4th holiday, pump prices crept higher over the past week by three cents to reach $3.55,” according to a report from AAA. “The main culprit is a higher price for oil, which moved from the upper $60s per barrel recently to the mid-$70s.”
“Gas demand has fallen nearly 10 percent since the holiday, as folks have returned to their day-to-day driving routines,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “Typically, this would lower gas prices, but such a move is being countered for now by the increasing cost for oil, the main ingredient in gasoline.”
According to GasBuddy and other national price trackers, select locations in west Texas and Louisiana are selling gas in the $2.80 per gallon range.
The nation’s average price of gasoline has climbed 3.4 cents in the last week to $3.53 per gallon, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average price of diesel has risen 0.1 cents in the last week and stands at $3.80 per gallon.
However, according to GasBuddy, drivers won’t enjoy those comparatively low prices for very long.
“With oil prices rising to $75 per barrel last week, the highest level in months, the national average price of gasoline saw similar upward pressure, with a little over half of the nation’s states seeing gas prices rise last week,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “While the price increases could continue into this week, I would expect them to be fairly mild, with the national average likely staying in the $3.50-$3.60 range that we’ve been stuck in since April for the coming week and likely into next week as well. Economic data has been playing a larger than typical role in putting pressure on gas prices, with OPEC production cuts also a major factor.”