SC Gas Prices Remain Above $3 Despite a Slight Decrease in Weekly Average
Gas Prices in South Carolina Continue to Run High
Residents of South Carolina are still paying more than $3 per gallon of gasoline. GasBuddy’s recent survey shows the average gas price stands at $3.15 with a modest 2.3% decrease over the past week. Despite the slight downward trend, the average price for a gallon of gas is up by 12 cents over the past month and is 2.2 cents higher than one year ago.
The Price Disparity Across the State
The price for gasoline ranges widely across the state. As of Monday, the cheapest station in the state priced gasoline at $2.64 per gallon, while the costliest gas was selling at an astonishingly high $4.8 per gallon — a difference of $1.85 per gallon. In the Tri-County area, the least expensive gas was found at a Charleston station selling at $2.95 per gallon as of Monday morning.
National Perspective on Gas Prices
As for the national average, the price for a gallon of gas remained the same as last week, averaging $3.51 per gallon. According to GasBuddy data derived from over 11 million weekly price reports across more than 150,000 gas stations, the national average is up by 16.1 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 0.9 cents higher than a year ago.
Expert Analysis on Current Gas Prices
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, offered insights on the current gas price trends, “The national average price of gasoline has finally slowed a bit after four weeks of notable increases, stalling in the mid-$3.50s for the last week or two,” De Haan explained. “For now, motorists have a bit of a reprieve from the constant big weekly price jumps.”
He also offered cautionary advice for drivers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, “You haven’t yet finished the transition to summer gasoline, so you may experience some sticker shock in a few weeks. For the rest of the nation, so long as we don’t see extenuating circumstances, we’re likely close to a top in prices.”
Potential Impact on Motorists
Consumers across South Carolina will continue to monitor gas prices anxiously as any increases can severely impact household budgets. In the meantime, motorists are hoping for a stable decrease in prices in the coming weeks.
