AAA: Dinwiddie has highest average gas price in the Tri-City area; Prince George the lowest
PETERSBURG — Dinwiddie County has the highest average price for unleaded gasoline, while its neighbor Prince George County has the lowest, according to data released Tuesday by the American Automobile Association.
Meanwhile, gas prices in Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell hovered in the $3.90-$3.99 range, AAA said. But no matter where you live in the Tri-City area, you're paying anywhere from eight to more than 20 cents below the state average.
Overall, average gas prices in Virginia have dropped every day since hitting their high peak of $5.01 on June 12. Part of that, an AAA spokesperson said, has to do with the fact that motorists have restricted their visits to the gas pump now.
"Consumers appear to be taking the pressure off their wallets by fueling up less,” Morgan Dean of AAA Mid-Atlantic said in an email. “And there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic that pump prices will continue to fall, particularly if the global price for oil does not spike."
In Dinwiddie, AAA recorded the average price for unleaded regular gasoline Tuesday at $4.02 per gallon, tops in the area. Prince George's average gallon price was $3.89.
In the three cities, AAA clocked an average per-gallon price of $3.92 for Colonial Heights, $3.95 for Hopewell and $3.96 for Petersburg.
For comparison purposes with Tri-City area neighbors, Chesterfield County's average price was $3.92 Tuesday, Richmond's was $4.03, Sussex County came in at $4 and Surry County logged $3.90.
Statewide, the average gas price was $4.11, a drop of two cents from the previous day, 16 cents from the same time a week ago, and 61 cents cheaper than at this time in June. The average price still has a ways to go to match the average of $2.97 in July 2021.
The Richmond-Petersburg area is one of five metropolitan areas across Virginia with the average price at $3.99 or below. Gas prices appeared to be the cheapest in Fredericksburg, at $3.83. At its highest in mid-June, Richmond-Petersburg gas price was $4.93 per gallon
AAA calculated the nationwide average gas price at $4.33 per gallon as of Tuesday.
Fuel-tracker website GasBuddy listed a range of Petersburg gas prices from $3.71 at an Amoco station on East Washington Street to $3.89 at five stations.
AAA's Dean said that while the lower gas prices are good news for consumers, the unpredictability of the oil market does not necessarily guarantee the costs will continue to go down.
"The overall situation remains very volatile,” he said.
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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Dinwiddie has highest average gas price in Tri-City area, says AAA
