County gasoline 24 cents higher than state average, survey says

According to a survey of 1,826 stations across Arkansas, Columbia County’s regular gasoline prices on Monday were 24 cents higher than the state average.
According to a survey of 1,826 stations across Arkansas, Columbia County’s regular gasoline prices on Monday were 24 cents higher than the state average.

As crude market prices continue to fall, so does the cost of gasoline around the country and the state. But even with Arkansas now averaging just over $2.07 per gallon for regular unleaded, according to a Monday survey, Columbia County consumers are not seeing anything close to those prices.

According to a Dec. 10 gasbuddy.com daily survey of 1,826 service stations across the state, the average regular gasoline price per gallon in Columbia County sits at $2.31. That figure is 24 cents higher than the average Natural State survey price and still double-digits over its immediate surrounding counties.

According to the survey, Lafayette and Nevada Counties both averaged $2.06 per gallon on Monday, while Ouachita and Union Counties were $2.10 and $2.14 per gallon, respectively. Miller County had the cheapest per gallon regular average in southwest Arkansas at $2.04.

Columbia County was also the third-highest per gallon mark in the state, but it was second in southwest Arkansas, behind only Sevier County’s $2.37 per gallon — the most expensive county to purchase gasoline in the state, according to the survey. Arkansas County in the central-eastern portion of the state was $2.32 per gallon, just edging out the prices seen in Columbia County.

The cheapest county to purchase regular gasoline on Monday was Benton County in northwest Arkansas at $1.94 per gallon.

With so many counties in Arkansas witnessing prices hovering between $2 to $2.10, the state on average was the third lowest in the country, only behind Oklahoma and Missouri, which averaged $2.06 and $1.98 per gallon respectively.

“Average gas prices have continued to move lower in most states in the last week as retail prices continue to catch up to the low price of oil,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for the survey company.

The most expensive states to purchase regular gas on Monday were Hawaii at $3.73 per gallon and California at $3.47 per gallon.

For Diesel fuel, Arkansas was rated as the seventh-cheapest state for purchase. But, again, as was the case for gasoline, diesel per gallon costs are greater in Columbia County than the rest of the immediate region.

On Monday the per gallon price for diesel was $2.94, while Lafayette, Nevada, Ouachita, and Union Counties all averaged $2.87 — also the price seen most commonly around the state.

Regular gasoline prices in Arkansas have dipped 5.7 cents per gallon just in the past week, the survey said. The national average has fallen 2.7 cents.

“While the going has been good at most gas pumps, OPEC countries did agree to curb oil production, but the cut was smaller than we had expected,” DeHaan said, “and for a shorter duration than anticipated, resulting in a small upward move in oil, one that may not immediately curb the declines. We appear poised to see the national average drop perhaps at least one more week. We could close this week with the nation’s average in the $2.30s – the lowest in over a year.”

Citi Bank on Monday predicted international Brent crude prices next year would average around $60 per barrel, due to OPEC and Russia last week electing to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day, beginning in January.

“The move follows a more than 30-percent collapse in oil prices that saw international benchmark Brent crude fall from more than $86 a barrel to a 13-month low at $57.50 last month,” said a Dec. 10 CNBC report.

As of noon Monday, Brent crude commodity prices hovered around $61 per barrel.

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