For the first time in weeks, there is no $5 gasoline in Oklahoma. Triple A reported the state’s average dropped 10 cents in the past week to $4.40 per gallon.
The new average is 23 cents cheaper than a month ago while nationally, the new average this week is $4.67 a gallon, a drop of 32 cents in the past month and 12 cents cheaper than a week ago.
The highest averages in the state are $4.99 a gallon in Coal County in the southeast and Ellis County in the northwest. Those two counties typically had the highest gasoline price averages in the state for the past several weeks.
Oklahoma City’s average of $4.44 per gallon is 9 cents lower than a week ago and 22 cents below the average of one month ago. A year ago, motorists in the city paid $2.87 for a gallon of gasoline.
Tulsa motorists are paying $4.23 a gallon average this week, 11 cents lower than a week ago and 30 cents cheaper than a month ago. It was a year ago when the average gasoline price in Tulsa was $2.89.
Lawton still has the lowest average gasoline prices in the state with a $4.09 average this week, a drop of 23 cents from one week earlier and 36 cents below the $4.47 average of a month ago.
The dip in the national average for a gallon of gas occurred despite a slight rise in demand, likely due to robust July 4th holiday automobile travel. AAA forecasted that 42 million people would hit the roads for the holiday weekend, a new record.
“Usually, more people buying gas would lead to higher pump prices,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “But the price for oil, the main ingredient in gasoline, has fallen and is hovering around $100 a barrel. Less expensive oil usually means less expensive gas.”