(The Center Square) – Drivers hitting the roads this holiday weekend will likely see gas prices at their lowest nationally in nearly two years. That’s according to data from AAA.
On Wednesday, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded, according to the organization representing motorists across the country, was just $3.281. That was down more than 6 cents from a week ago, nearly 27 cents from last month and more than 35 cents from the average this time last year.
“Drivers this Thanksgiving can expect cheaper gas prices,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said last week. “Ten states now have sub $3 a gallon averages, and more will join soon. So savvy drivers will find savings on their way to a turkey dinner this year.”
The national average has not been this low since December 2021.
Indiana drivers were paying an average price of $3.184 on Wednesday. That dropped 15 cents from the previous week, and it was more than 62 cents cheaper than Hoosiers paid at the pump a year ago.
Drivers in Jackson County, 50 miles north of Louisville, had the lowest cost for a fill-up, thanks to an average price of $3.003. Lake County in northwestern Indiana, next to Chicago, typically one of the more expensive counties for gas, saw prices dip to $3.084. Gary’s average price of $3.113 was down more than 70 cents from this time last year.
Like Gary, prices in Indianapolis are significantly lower than they were a year ago. Wednesday’s average of $3.174 was 66 cents cheaper than drivers were paying during the last Thanksgiving holiday.
Carroll County, in the northern half of the state, had the highest average Wednesday at $3.455.
Regionally, drivers in Ohio ($3.073) and Kentucky ($3.018) were paying less than their counterparts in Indiana. Michigan’s average was slightly higher at $3.217, while Illinois had the highest price at $3.451.
The country’s two largest states are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Texas drivers are paying the lowest for a gallon, with the average price of just $2.751, while California’s average price stands at $4.94.