Georgia, South Carolina gas prices rise over the past week

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Georgia and South Carolina gas prices have shown a significant increase in the past week.

The average price in Georgia is $3.26 per gallon, increasing by 12 cents in the past week, according to AAA.

Augusta’s gas price average as of Monday is $3.26, up 13 cents in a week, according to AAA.

However, Georgia’s average gas price is still 21 cents below the national average, according to AAA.

According to a study from HiRoad, Georgia is among some of the most affordable states for gas in the whole of the U.S., relative to localized salary data.

Residents can expect 16.7% of their average hourly salary to cover the cost of a single gallon of gas. This makes Georgia the 10th most affordable state to buy gas, relative to local salaries, according to the study.

Georgia is one of only two states which saw the relative affordability of gas improve over the course of 2022. On average, Georgian residents could expect to spend $1,435 annually on refueling their vehicles in 2022, according to the study.

Meanwhile, the average in South Carolina is $3.18, up 11 cents from last week.

According to AAA, Aiken and Edgefield counties’ gas prices are at the average of $3.21, up by 12 cents in the past week.

In the HiRoad study, South Carolina’s ranking went from 17.6% in 2021 to 18.1% in 2022 for the average hourly salary per gallon of gas.

According to AAA, the national average gas price has gone up 6 cents to $3.47.

GasBuddy Petroleum Analysis Head Patrick De Haan said wholesale prices are inching up at a rate “typical for this time of year” because of the transition to more expensive summer gasoline that is underway coast to coast.

“While oil prices edged slightly lower on weaker outlooks for economic growth, continued refinery maintenance and the higher cost of seasonal blends of fuel are offsetting oil’s decline,” he said. “The price of diesel, however, continues to slowly decline as we see consumption for diesel lighten up. The best news for both gasoline and diesel prices is how significant a drop we’ve seen from year-ago levels, with more disinflation to come in the weeks ahead, even as gas prices are likely to inch up.”

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