When it comes to the wallet, west central Kentucky is in for more reprieve heading into 2025.
According to the weekly AAA East Central Gas Price Report, per gallon averages are down four cents in the last seven days — now at $2.64 in the region.
This time last year, it was $2.76 a gallon.
Most, if not all, of the Commonwealth this side of Bowling Green is currently experiencing either at, or below, average petroleum costs.
In Caldwell County, it’s $2.72.
In Calloway County, it’s $2.59.
In Christian County, it’s $2.60.
In Crittenden County, it’s $2.65.
In Hopkins County, it’s $2.57.
In Livingston County, it’s $2.74.
In Lyon County, it’s $2.74.
In Marshall County, it’s $2.63.
In Muhlenberg County, it’s $2.72.
In Todd County, it’s $2.62.
At $2.78, Trigg County presently, and rather consistently, has the highest price per gallon in the Jackson Purchase.
Average prices at key locations in Kentucky include: $2.60 in Bowling Green, $2.80 in Louisville, $2.56 in Owensboro, and $2.60 in Paducah.
Today’s national average of $3.02 is two cents lower than last week, three cents lower than a month ago, and nine cents lower than a year ago.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices are trading around $71 per barrel this week, which is mostly consistent with prices over the past month.
According to stacker.com, 1998 was the nation’s least expensive year between 1936 and 2021. Absolute gas prices were $1.06 per gallon, or an inflation-adjusted price of $1.78. In many states, average costs fell below a dollar per gallon, as “Texas light sweet” had its barrel rates cut in half from what they were in 1997. Consumers embraced the lowest prices in a near-century, but several smaller oil producers were forced to shut down entirely, as bigger corporations used layoffs and extreme cost-cutting measures to remain afloat.
