(The Center Square) – Election Day average fuel prices in North Carolina are $2.89 for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline and $3.44 for diesel fuel, according to AAA.
Often cited among other economic concerns by politicians and voters alike, the benchmarks are bettered by only 14 and 18 other states, respectively. National averages are $3.10 for unleaded gas and $3.56 for diesel, according to the American Automobile Association.
The comparison to four years ago is not apples to apples due to COVID-19 and government intrusion on personal freedoms. As the eighth month of the pandemic was beginning four years ago, and many states had restrictions on openings including North Carolina’s periodic stay-at-home orders, average gas prices were just above $2.
North Carolinians were infamously told by Gov. Roy Cooper that fall to stay home and not visit family for Thanksgiving.
This year, North Carolina averages were $3.15 for unleaded gas and $4.07 for diesel at Martin Luther King Day; $3.35 and $3.87, respectively, just before Memorial Day; $3.30 and $3.77 prior to July 4; and $3.10 and $3.63 as Labor Day approached.
A year ago, the averages were $3.12 for unleaded gas and $4.18 for diesel.
North Carolina this year taxes gasoline at 40.4 cents per gallon, up 2 cents from last year and the fifth-highest in the country. States higher are California (57.9); Pennsylvania (57.6); Washington (49.4); and Illinois (45.4).
Among 14 major metro areas, unleaded gas is the least expensive in Jacksonville at $2.78. Most expensive is the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area ($3.03).
Diesel is the most consumer-friendly ($3.30) in New Bern.
In a state with the ninth-largest population of 10.8 million, roughly 8 million vehicle registrations are combustion engines, either gas or diesel. Total zero-emission vehicles registered is about 100,000 through June, or 1 in 80 on the highways.
