This Homecoming Weekend is a good time to fill up in Ohio compared to earlier this year, and local gas prices continue to spiral downward.
Athens County’s current gas prices have fallen as low as $3.36 per gallon for unleaded gas, according to statistics from GasBuddy.com, an organization that operates websites that report fuel prices.
That’s close to the state average — $3.33 per gallon, as of press time — for Athens, which historically has had sharply higher gas prices than elsewhere in the state. In mid-September, prices here were about 30 cents higher than the state average.
The current national average of gas is $3.37 per gallon for regular unleaded fuel, and right now the national average is as low as it has been since 2010, according to AAA data.
Although Ohio gas prices are likely to remain low in upcoming months, officials said, the price of gas depends heavily on supply and demand.
“In summer months, demand is higher and less supply (is) available,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst of GasBuddy. “(People) are going on vacation and consuming more gas. As temperatures begin to cool, Americans stay closer to home. ... There’s less travel throughout the winter months.”
Prices tend to reach their all-time low during the year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, rising again by New Year.
Ohio gas prices tend to fluctuate very quickly in comparison to other parts of the country, said Jamie Clemons, manager of the BP at 50 N. Court St., where gas prices were set at $3.39 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline.
The station has no immediate or specific plans to change prices at the moment.
Although gas can be unpredictable, Emily Dugovics, a fifth-year senior studying accounting pre-law, said she still drives.
“Driving is just something you have to do, regardless of gas prices,” Dugovics said.
@KellyPFisher
kf398711@ohiou.edu
