VALDOSTA — The Azalea City had some of the highest gasoline prices in Georgia Friday, according to the numbers.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Valdosta Friday was $3.49, up nine cents in a week, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.
That price tied the city with Hinesville for the second-highest spot among prices in the 15 Georgia markets monitored by the auto club, behind only Savannah while ahead of Warner Robins, Rome, Macon, Gainesville, Dalton, Columbus, Catoosa, Brunswick, Augusta, Atlanta, Athens and Albany.
The lowest price reported in Valdosta Friday was $3.29 per gallon at multiple locations; the lowest price reported Friday in Tifton was also $3.29, at a store on US 41-N, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com.
Nationally, the average price of gasoline Friday was $3.67 per gallon, up a penny over seven days, while Georgia’s average of $3.47 per gallon was up seven cents in the same period, AAA said.
“From a demand perspective, we have entered the pre-Memorial Day funk,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “And the cost of a barrel of oil is nearly $10 less than two weeks ago, as oil prices have fallen into the upper $70s. This may keep pump prices somewhat flat for the immediate future.”
In Friday’s market action, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 20 cents to $79.15 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost five cents on Thursday.
Brent crude, the international standard, also added 20 cents, to $83.87 per barrel.