(The Center Square) – Arkansas has the sixth lowest gas price average in the country this week, but it’s likely gas prices will continue to fluctuate, according to AAA.
The average gas price for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel in Arkansas is $3.49, unchanged from a week ago and six cents lower than the average price in Arkansas this time last year, the organization reported.
Even drivers in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, where the average gas price is highest in the state at $3.60, are still paying less than the national average of $3.83.
The lowest average gas price in Arkansas is in West Memphis at a little less than $3.38, AAA said.
States with the lowest gas averages this week are Mississippi at $3.31 a gallon, Louisiana at $3.42, and Alabama at $3.43, the organization said.
The national average went up by one cent this week but is 18 cents less than the national average last year when the average was just over $4.
The potential for price fluctuations and increases remain due to crude oil prices going up by approximately two dollars a barrel since last week, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.
Meanwhile, OPEC+, an organization of oil-exporting developing nations, has predicted global demand will remain strong for the remainder of 2023.
“Some Arkansas drivers are seeing minimal relief when they fill up this week,” said AAA Spokesperson Nick Chabarria. “The best way to conserve fuel is to drive the speed limit, avoid hard accelerations and maintain healthy tires.”
Arkansas reached its highest average gas price on record last year during June 2022, when it peaked at $4.54, according to AAA Arkansas Weekend Gas Watch. That’s when the U.S. average also reached its highest at $5.02.
