Georgia gasoline prices dropped eight cents per gallon on average over the past week, driven by a drop in crude oil prices and decreased demand. But Cobb County’s prices are hovering around 15 cents over the statewide average.

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 $4.32 per gallon.

“Georgia pump price average continues its downward trend across the state,” said Waiters. “Crude oil continues to decline and demand dropped, which has helped to lower gas prices.”

Prices in Cobb County

The price of a gallon of regular unleaded in Cobb County is $4.47 at the time of this writing, about 15 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 decreased by 9 cents to $4.81 (subject to change overnight). Due to the delayed release of the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) report on gasoline supply and demand last week, the federal agency released two weeks of data that showed gasoline demand decreased each week. Gas demand sits at 8.93 million barrels a day, which is lower than last year’s rate of 9.11 million barrels a day at the end of June. On the other hand, total domestic gasoline stocks increased by 2.6 million barrels to 221.6 million barrels. These supply/demand dynamics and decreasing oil prices have pushed pump prices lower. As these trends continue, drivers will likely continue to see relief at the pump.

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.