COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – After a three-week drop in prices throughout the Columbus area, the cost of a gallon of gasoline has bounced back by over 20 cents.
According to GasBuddy’s survey of 500 stations in the Columbus area, the average gas price jumped up by 22.1 cents per gallon to an average of $3.49. The recent increase cuts into a three-week decline of 36.4 cents per gallon, before prices averaged $3.62 in mid-May.
The current price is still 9.6 cents per gallon lower than one month ago and 7.8 cents per gallon lower than this time one year ago. In Ohio, the average price of gas also rose by 22.7 cents per gallon, from $3.23 per gallon to $3.45 per gallon.
The cheapest gas station in the Columbus area was priced at $2.91 a gallon, while the most expensive was $3.60, a difference of 69 cents per gallon. Nationally, gas prices also inched up by 1 cent to $3.41 per gallon.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said while relief at the pump took a turn in the wrong direction, it is expected to be short-lived and summer travelers and should continue to see declining prices heading into July.
"Since the national average price of gasoline fell to its lowest June level since 2021 last week, we've seen the drop in prices take a break, with some states seeing a small rise over the last week,” De Haan said. “Thankfully, I expect this to be more like a short timeout, with an eventual return to falling gasoline prices in most states.”
