Georgia Gas Prices Creep Up Before Memorial Day

Gas prices are up again in Georgia, just in time for one of the busiest driving weekends of the year.

🛞 What’s Happening: Drivers in Georgia are now paying an average of $2.92 per gallon for regular unleaded gas. That’s up 4 cents from last week but still 1 cent cheaper than a month ago. Compared to this time last year, it’s 46 cents cheaper.

That price bump means it’ll cost you about $43.80 to fill up a 15-gallon tank. That’s almost $7 less than it cost a year ago—so, yes, it could be worse.

🔑 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.

🗣️ Who Made it Happen: You did. AAA says demand is up and so is the cost of crude oil. Montrae Waiters, a spokesperson for AAA, says the usual springtime price spike was delayed because crude oil prices stayed low longer than expected.

But now, with Memorial Day weekend coming up and more drivers hitting the road, prices are starting to follow their typical seasonal climb.

🌍 Why This Should Catch Your Attention: Georgia’s prices are still well below the national average of $3.17 per gallon, which also rose 4 cents this past week. And while gas prices are slowly rising, they’re still about 40 cents cheaper nationwide than this time last year.

According to AAA, 39.4 million Americans are expected to hit the road over Memorial Day weekend, meaning traffic—and prices—will likely keep climbing, at least in the short term.

📉 Oil Market Snapshot: The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed last week at $63.15 a barrel, after dipping 52 cents. Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil inventories are at 441.8 million barrels, which is 6% lower than the five-year average for this time of year.

📊 Georgia’s Gas Price Breakdown:

• Most expensive cities: Savannah at $2.99, Athens at $2.95, and Atlanta at $2.94
• Cheapest cities: Warner Robins at $2.79, Rome at $2.82, and Catoosa-Dade-Walker at $2.83

🔌 Don’t Drive Gas?: For electric vehicle drivers, nothing’s changed. The average rate for a public EV charging station is still 36 cents per kilowatt hour.

🛠️ Take Action: AAA recommends checking gas prices before you drive and using tools like the AAA TripTik Travel Planner to locate cheaper fuel or EV chargers along your route. They also suggest basic tips like keeping your tires inflated and avoiding aggressive driving to help stretch every dollar.