After brief rise, gas price again trends downward
The average price for a gallon of gas in Michigan was $3.30, AAA reported on Monday
That is 2 cents cheaper than a week ago, though it is 17 cents more than this time last month and 15 cents more than this time last year, AAA said.
“Motorists are paying an average of $49 for a full 15-gallon tank of gasoline; a discount of about $29 from 2022’s highest price last June,” AAA said in its weekly report. “According to data from the Energy Information Administration, gas demand dropped from 9.33 million to 7.51 million b/d. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks fell by 300,000 bbl to 222.7 million bbl.”
While Michigan gas prices are slightly down, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded in Metro Detroit was up week-overweek, increasing by 3 cents to reach $3.34 per gallon. Metro Detroit’s prices are 13 cents more than this time last year.
The most expensive prices in the state include Metro Detroit and Jackson at $3.34 and Ann Arbor at $3.31. The least expensive prices were found in Traverse City at $3.16, Lansing at $3.24, and Saginaw at $3.25.
“Michigan motorists are seeing some stability at the pump as we move further into the new year,” said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group. “Lower gasoline demand has helped to slow increasing gas prices.”
In the Detroit area, Oakland County had the highest prices, averaging $3.39 a gallon, while Macomb County was at $3.32. Wayne County was at $3.33.
In mid-Michigan, the average prices were at $3.26 in Isabella County, $3.27 in Clare County, and $3.36 in Gratiot County.
In Saginaw County, the prices averaged $3.28 per gallon.
Nationally, on Sunday, the average gas price was also $3.30, down 1 cent from a year ago. The high for the year of 2022 was $5.02 on June 14, which was also a record high.
Gas prices fells fast near the end of the year, reaching a 2022 low on Dec. 19 with a 17-cent week-over-week drop to hit an average of $3.07 per gallon in Michigan.
Prices even dropped just below $3 a gallon on Dec. 27, ending the year on a downward trend; however, prices jumped upward in the first weeks of 2023.