COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Supply and demand reared its ugly head last week when gas prices jumped by nearly 20 cents just as the Thanksgiving travel weekend kicked off.
According to GasBuddy’s survey of 500 stations in the Columbus area, the average price at the pump rose by 19.6 cents per gallon last week to leap over the $3 threshold at $3.07. The current price is 1.4 cents per gallon lower than last month but 10.4 cents per gallon higher than this time one year ago.
The cheapest gas station in the Columbus area was priced at $2.77 a gallon, while the most expensive was $3.22, a difference of 45 cents per gallon. In Ohio, the average price of gas also rose significantly by 17.2 cents from $2.83 per gallon to $3.00 per gallon.
Nationally, gas prices actually dropped slightly, 0.6 cents per gallon, to reach $3 even, while the price of diesel ticked up just a skosh, settling at $3.51 per gallon.
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According to GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan, most of the country remains steady and those areas that experienced hikes should see prices at the pump taper off again soon.
"Millions took to the road for Thanksgiving, and while some regions, like the Great Lakes, saw gas prices rise just in time for travel, most of the nation saw prices hold mostly stable or decline slightly as the national average remains near the lowest level we've seen since 2021," said De Haan, "The weeks ahead should feature slight drops in gas prices in most areas (and) should stick around through the holiday shopping season.”
