Georgia gasoline prices remained steady this week.

According to the weekly press release from Montrae Waiters the spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group, Georgia drivers are now paying an average of $3.71 per gallon.

“Georgia statewide pump price averages have managed to hold steady for the past few weeks,” said Waiters. “Unfortunately, we can’t predict how long gas prices will remain under $4 dollars for Georgians. But, (we) should anticipate price fluctuations at the pump in the lead up to Memorial Day Weekend.”

Prices in Cobb County

The price of a gallon of regular unleaded in Cobb County is $3.774 at the time of this writing, about six cents more expensive than the statewide average.

It is always possible to find lower gas prices than the average by comparison shopping or using tools like http://gasbuddy.com.

What are the national trends?

AAA’s weekly report stated the following about national gas and oil trends:

Since last Monday, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has increased by 6 cents to $4.18. According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 1.6 million barrels to 230.8 million barrels last week. Gasoline demand decreased slightly from 8.87 million barrels a day to 8.74 million barrels a day. Although lower gas demand would typically push pump prices lower, the fluctuating oil price and tight gasoline supply have pushed pump prices higher. Pump prices will likely face upward pressure as oil prices remain above $100 per barrel.

How does AAA determine gas prices?

According to AAA:

AAA updates fuel price averages daily at www.GasPrices.AAA.com. Every day up to 130,000 stations are surveyed based on credit card swipes and direct feeds in cooperation with the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and Wright Express for unmatched statistical reliability. All average retail prices in this report are for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline.