(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 $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.
Tennessee’s average Wednesday of $2.908 was one of the lowest nationally and more than 29 cents per gallon cheaper than what drivers paid there this time last year.
Average prices ranged from $2.626 in Henry County in the state’s northwestern corner to $3.415 in Williamson County just south of Nashville.
In Nashville, drivers paid on average $2.961, down eight cents from last week and more than 21 cents from a year ago. The year-to-year cost fell even further in Memphis, where the $2.941 price Wednesday was 31.5 cents cheaper.
Gas prices were even less expensive to the south, with Mississippi stations averaging $2.776 and Georgia pumps priced at $2.808. In Alabama, the cost was $2.87.
Averages topped $3 per gallon in Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia. Virginia’s $3.123 was the highest in the region. On the Virginia side of Bristol, the cost was $3.069, down nearly 24 cents from a year ago, but on the Tennessee side, drivers were paying just $2.887, nearly 30 cents cheaper than last year.
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.
