Average gas price soars above $6 in Merced County. Which places are cheapest to fuel up?
Amid soaring gas prices nationwide, the average price of a gallon of gas soared to $6.30 in Merced County on Monday — roughly 58 cents higher than it was May 11, according to the American Automobile Association.
At local pumps, like Chevron on Glen Avenue in Merced, some drivers are astounded at the exorbitant prices they’re paying for regular gas.
“I paid $4.50 in Washington, D.C.,” said a tourist, Charlie Munson, who said he is on a road trip through California. “It’s making my travels through the national parks very expensive.”
The pinch on drivers isn’t unique to Merced County, as fuel prices continue to climb nationwide. Still, the price is even worse in other parts of the state, with the average price climbing to $7.04 a gallon in Mono County, according to AAA.
There have also been cases where a gallon of gas has hit $7 in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
The average price for a gallon of gas in California was $6.34 on Monday, just slightly above Merced County’s average price at the pump, which ranges from $5.89 to $6.69 at the pump.
For those Merced County drivers who aren’t quite ready to fork over more than $6 a gallon, there are still a few stations where prices are on the lower side, according to the fuel insights tracker GasBuddy.com.
Kwik Serv in Livingston, located on Davis Street, sells gas for $5.78 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com, while another Livingston gas station, Quik Stop, lists the price of gas as $5.79 a gallon.
The 76 station in Delhi had gas at $5.79 a gallon on Monday. At the 5 Star Travel Plaza in Delhi, drivers can fuel up for $5.95 a gallon.
In Merced, the three cheapest stations to fill up the tank are Arco on E. Childs Avenue ($5.89 a gallon), Adel’s Mini Mart ($5.89 a gallon), and Sinclair on V Street ($5.97).
In Atwater, the few stations to sell gasoline for under $6 a gallon are Brothers Royal Crown Mini Mart ($5.89), Arco on Bell Street ($5.91) and Arco on N. Buhach Road ($5.91).
Customers still filling up, despite higher prices
On the national front, the average cost was $4.86 a gallon on Monday, compared to $4.37 a gallon on May 10.
The steadily-climbing prices can be attributed to oil barrel prices doubling from their price last August, settling at $120 a barrel as of Monday, according to AAA. The organization says oil demand continues to outpace a tight supply worldwide.
“People are still fueling up, despite these high prices,” said Andrew Gross, a AAA spokesperson, in a news release. “At some point, drivers may change their daily driving habits or lifestyle due to these high prices, but we are not there yet.”
Interestingly, demand for domestic gasoline increased last week after folks traveled for Memorial Day weekend, causing the national average for a gallon of gas to hit $4.86, a 25-cent increase in the last week, according to AAA.
New data released from the Energy Information Administration shows that total domestic gasoline stocks decreased 700,000 barrels of crude oil, bringing the total amount to 219 million barrels of crude oil last week.
However, demand for gasoline grew from 8.8 million barrels of oil a day to 8.89 million, driven in large part by Memorial Day weekend travel.
While gas prices have been over $5 a gallon in Merced County for a number of months, the rest of the country still hasn’t seen gas prices hit levels seen in California. But that could change soon, according to analysts with GasBuddy.
“After a blistering week of gas prices jumping in every town, city, state and area possible, more bad news is on the horizon,” said Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, in a news release. “It now appears not if, but when, we’ll hit that psychologically critical $5 national average.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 5:16 PM.