Georgia drivers are breathing easier at the gas pump, with prices dropping for the third straight week.
Georgians now pay an average of $2.88 per gallon for regular unleaded. That’s down 4 cents from last Monday, 11 cents from a month ago, and a hefty 53 cents from this time last year. Translation: the typical 15-gallon fill-up now runs you about $43.20 — nearly $8 less than a year ago.
🧾 What’s Happening: Fuel prices are falling faster than your patience in Atlanta traffic. The statewide average for regular unleaded is down again, and AAA says the national average is also slipping. It’s sitting at $3.13 today, 3 cents lower than last week.
📉 Why It Matters: Less pain at the pump means more change in your cupholder — and that’s a rare win these days. Crude oil is hovering below $80 a barrel, and demand’s doing a disappearing act. Combine that with OPEC+ pledging to pump more oil next month, and prices are cooling off just in time for summer road trips.
🔑 Key Term- Average: The “average” is a value that represents the middle point of a group of gas prices, indicating what is typical for those prices overall. However, the price you see at your local gas station may not be exactly the average due to factors such as location, competition, or recent changes in supply and demand. Different stations may set their prices based on local market conditions, taxes, and operating costs, leading to variations from the average price in the area. This means that while the average gives a general idea of what gas costs, individual prices can be higher or lower depending on these specific factors.
🚘 Why This Should Catch Your Attention: Compared to last year, Georgians are saving nearly $8 every time they fill up. Multiply that by your summer travel plans, and suddenly that detour for boiled peanuts doesn’t seem so expensive.
🧪 Oil Market Snapshot: Last Wednesday, West Texas Intermediate crude fell to $78.07 a barrel, down $1.02. U.S. crude inventories dipped by 2 million barrels, and now sit 7 percent below the five-year average.
⛽ About Gas Prices: Gas prices can change frequently, and there are many reasons why. It isn’t as simple as most people think. The biggest reason is the cost of crude oil, which can go up or down based on both world events and how much people want it. There are also costs to make the oil into gas and get it to gas stations. Different locations have different types of gas, and that can also change the price. Taxes also add to the cost. Sometimes, bad weather or problems at oil refineries can make prices go up or down quickly. Also, if the U.S. dollar is strong or weak, that can affect the price. All these things together give us the final price we see when we fill up our tanks.
⚡ Electric Outlook: While gas prices fall, public EV charging costs just crept up. Nationally, charging a car at public stations now averages 36 cents per kilowatt hour — up 2 cents. So yes, it’s still cheaper than gas… but not as cheap as it used to be.
📍 Most Expensive Metro Markets in Georgia:
- Savannah: $2.96
- Macon: $2.92
- Atlanta: $2.91
📍 Least Expensive Spots:
- Augusta-Aiken: $2.77
- Dalton: $2.74
- Catoosa-Dade-Walker: $2.72
📊 Looking Ahead: If OPEC+ holds to its June output increase and demand keeps dipping, prices could keep sliding — especially in the Southeast. AAA tracks prices daily, so check their site or app before you fill up.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
