Make it 24 straight days that national gasoline prices have dropped. AAA Oklahoma reported this week the national average is down to $2.27 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline, three cents cheaper than a week ago and 9 cents less than a month ago.
Oklahoma’s average is $2.05, a drop of about four cents in the past week.
“Gasoline prices here in Oklahoma and around the country continue to fall as the summer unfolds,” explained Chuck Mai, a spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. “The state average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has given up 11 cents over the last 24 days and now stands 50 cents below where it stood on this date in 2015.”
The lowest prices can be found in Muskogee where the average is $1.91 a gallon, a drop of nearly 6 cents a gallon over the past week. The average in Bartlesville is $1.92. Tulsa’s average is $1.94, a drop of 7 cents in the past seven days. Enid’s average is $1.97 and the average in Shawnee is a penny higher at $1.98.
Oklahoma City has an average of $2.03 a gallon. The highest prices are found in Altus where the new average is $2.18. Stillwater’s average is down to $2.11.
The biggest drop in prices in the past week occurred in Ardmore where the average is $2.03, a decline of 9 cents.
AAA Oklahoma reports that a record 36 million drivers hit the road over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. It says a rebounding economy and gas prices reflecting substantial yearly savings are contributing to gasoline demand. In turn, the demand puts upward pressure on prices.
Oklahoma’s average continues to among some of the lowest in the nation. South Carolina’s $1.96 average is the lowest in the U.S. following by Mississippi where it is $2.02 and Alabama with an average of $2.05….same as Oklahoma.
The highest prices remain on the west coast where California leads the nation with an average of $2.91 a gallon. Hawaii has an average of $2.82 and Washington State’s average is $2.67.