NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee drivers got a week without much movement at the pump, but they are still paying far more than they did a year ago.
AAA’s weekly survey put the statewide average for regular unleaded at $3.93 a gallon, the same as one week earlier. That is a penny more than a month ago and $1.23 more than a year ago, and it makes Tennessee the seventh least expensive gas market in the nation.
The yearly jump adds up. AAA figures the $1.23 increase adds roughly $18 to the cost of filling a 15-gallon tank. The average Tennessee driver now pays nearly $59 for a fill-up, compared with around $40 at this time last year.
Megan Cooper, spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said prices held steady across the state with minimal changes for many drivers, and that relatively low crude oil prices are helping keep pump prices from climbing further.
Prices vary by region. Jackson had the highest metro average at $4.06, followed by Memphis at $4.02 and Nashville at $3.93. Chattanooga was lowest at $3.82, with Cleveland at $3.85 and Clarksville at $3.87.
Week over week, Memphis drivers saw the biggest relief among the large metros, with the average there easing from about $4.06 to $4.02. Nashville slipped from $3.937 to $3.934, and Chattanooga was unchanged at $3.825.
Nationally, the average dropped a penny to $4.35, but prices remain at record highs for autumn. This is the first year the national average has topped $4 a gallon in October. Crude oil has climbed back above $90 a barrel after spending several days in the $80 range, and Energy Information Administration data showed gasoline demand rising from 8.68 million to 8.76 million barrels per day.
AAA updates its averages daily, surveying up to 130,000 stations in cooperation with the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express.
