The best day to buy gas in metro Atlanta

Gas prices in metro Atlanta are on the rise.

Across the country, gas prices are the highest they’ve been in more than 19 months. The price of gas is highest in San Francisco at an average of $3.04 per gallon this past week. It was the lowest in Jackson, Mississippi, at $2.09 per gallon. Prices in Atlanta hover somewhere in between at about $2.26 per gallon.

If your tank needs attention, try to avoid hitting the gas station on a Thursday in Georgia.

According to a survey from GasBuddy, the smartphone app that helps drivers find the best prices on gas, Thursday is the worst day in Georgia (and in most states across the country) to fill up your tank because Thursday has the most expensive average gas prices.

So far, in 2017, Monday is the best day to buy gas in Georgia and 22 other states across the country. In 2016, Monday had the lowest average gas prices in 36 states, while eight states had the lowest average gas prices on Tuesday.

GasBuddy analyzed three years worth of fuel price data to come up with these results. So why is it best to get gas earlier in the week?

“The rise in average prices toward the weekend could be to blame on an influential report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued weekly on Wednesdays, which could push prices higher the day after, depending on if data in its report is as expected or a surprise,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.

Here’s some context: If every driver in the nation purchased gas on Thursday for a year we would collectively spend $1.1 billion more than if everyone had filled up their tanks on a Monday.