Gas prices tick higher as NJ slowly reopens and demand grows
Now that New Jersey's stay-at-home order has been lifted and the state slowly reopens, that means more people are hitting the roads, driving up the demand for gasoline.
AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman,Tracy Noble said the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in New Jersey is at $2.08. That's up a nickel from a week ago. But the good news is that it's 73 cents cheaper than it was at this time a year ago. Noble said the national average is on par with New Jersey, also at $2.08 a gallon.
The cost in New Jersey is significantly less than in Pennsylvania, where the average cost for a gallon of gas is at $2.31. New York is slightly cheaper than Pennsylvania at $2.21 per gallon.
Noble said gas prices in Atlantic City is at $2.06 a gallon. Monmouth and Ocean County and the rest of the shore area is at roughly $2.10 a gallon. Middlesex County gas prices are sitting at the $2.11 mark. In Trenton, gas prices are also at $2.11 a gallon, slightly higher than the state average.
The most expensive gas can be found in Morris County at $2.11 a gallon. The cheapest gas is in Burlington County at $2.02 a gallon.
Noble blames the gas price increase on the spike in demand for gasoline as the state reopens and people return to the roads. As that demand increases, the price of crude oil tends to increase as well.
She said while she's expecting gas prices to increase going forward, it's not clear what the hurricane season will look like. Sometimes a volatile hurricane season can have impacts on refineries and oil production.
Noble said experts do not believe gas prices will be as high as it was last year at this time, which was $2.81 a gallon.
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