Something to be Thankful For: Gas Prices Lower Than Last Week
The national average gas price has fallen heading into Thanksgiving week as nearly 46 million get ready to hit the road.
At about $2.54, a gallon of gas is currently running about 40 cents more than this time last year, but at least the cost is two cents lower than last week.
Monday's price report by AAA follows an estimate from the organization that nearly 46 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from their homes by car this holiday. What expected to bring the biggest travel volume in a dozen years means motorists face potentially nightmarish congestion, the AAA recently warned.
But some solace can be found in lower prices at the pumps, even if the lines are longer to fill up.
The national gas price has slowly declined at the start of the Thanksgiving week, after holding steady for nine days, the AAA said Monday, while noting that motorists can find gas for $2.50 or less at 55 percent of gas stations around the country.
The decline is in keeping with the three-year trend, according to the AAA. “Since 2014, the national gas price average has dropped one to five cents heading into the Thanksgiving week,” Jeanette Casselano, a spokesperson, said in a statement.
Motorists in Alaska will experience the biggest sticker shock at gasoline stations, with a gallon up 63 cents from a year ago, AAA said. In Illinois, a gallon costs 59 cents more than in 2016, followed by Indiana, where gas is running 58 cents more than last year.
The last expensive gas can be found in Alabama, where it averages $2.25, followed by Mississippi, where it's a penny more, or $2.26. In South Carolina, gas is $2.27 a gallon, while the average cost is $2.28 in Texas and $2.29 in Arkansas.
