(The Center Square) – North Carolina is one of 15 states under $3 for a gallon of unleaded on Friday morning, according to AAA.
Only 12 states are lower than the $2.98 average as analyzed by the American Automobile Association.
The $3.48 average for diesel is 19th lowest in the country among all states.
Counties in the mountains impacted significantly by Hurricane Helene are varied, with the southern tip a little higher than the more northerly areas. Watauga County is at $2.72 and Buncombe, where most of the state’s fatalities happened, is at $2.98.
Regular unleaded gasoline prices, says petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy, is like most other goods bought by Americans. General economic principles have the greatest impact on pricing, and automotive fuel also trickles in the blends used in summer and winter.
Of the three major metros, Raleigh and Wake County ($3.02) along with Charlotte and Mecklenburg County ($3.02) are higher than Greensboro and Guilford County ($2.99).
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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton at $2.88. Most expensive is the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area ($3.08).
Diesel is the most consumer-friendly ($3.35) 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, or 1 in 80 on the highways.