Not as cheap as during the pandemic, not as pricey as in the wake of Russia invading Ukraine — gas prices are apparently not an obstacle for this year’s Thanksgiving travelers.
A record number of Americans are expected to hit the road this week. About 80 million people will journey more than 50 miles from home — nearly 72 million of them by car — during the coming holiday, according to AAA.
“AAA projects that more than 2.1 million Georgians will take a road trip for the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Montrae Waiters, spokeswoman for AAA-The Auto Club Group. “Price fluctuations remain possible, as record holiday travel volume could put pressure on fuel demand this week.”
In metro Atlanta, the average pump price was $2.94 a gallon for regular unleaded as of Monday morning, about a dime lower than the current national average, according to GasBuddy.
That’s about 11 cents a gallon higher than last Thanksgiving, but compares favorably to $3.10 a gallon on Thanksgiving of 2022 and $3.22 a gallon in 2021.
Moreover, it looks pretty cheap compared to the summer of 2022, when gas prices in metro Atlanta crested at an average of $4.54 a gallon. That spike came as something of a shock to drivers after lows below $2 in the early days of the pandemic when so many offices and businesses were closed and demand for fuel was at rock bottom.
Despite the increased popularity of electric vehicles, and nearly 6 million who will fly to their destinations, the vast majority of travelers will still be riding in gas- or diesel-burning vehicles. So sooner or later, they will be looking for a station.
What they’ll find at the pump will be prices that have ticked up — as they typically do in the run-up to a holiday — but remain far below the highs of the past.
Prices nationally are at their lowest since 2021, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which tracks fuel prices. “We expect prices to remain seasonally low leading up to the holidays, making road trips a more affordable option.”
Only about one-sixth of those who are not traveling say the price of fuel is the main reason, according to a GasBuddy poll.
The lowest prices in metro Atlanta listed on the Gas Buddy website were $2.49 a gallon at a BP in Lithonia and $2.59 a gallon at a Chevron and a Shell in Atlanta, according to GasBuddy.
As of late last week, 29 states had average prices below $3 a gallon, according to GasBuddy. The average price statewide in Georgia was $2.91 a gallon.
Gas prices
Average metro Atlanta gas prices*
High, past 10 years: $4.54 (June 2022)
Low, past 10 years: $1.60 (April 2020)
Low, pre-pandemic: $1.65 (February 2015)
Year ago: $2.83 (2023)
Recent: $2.94 (Monday)
Lowest station, recent: $2.49 (BP, Lithonia)
*Price for gallon of regular. Not adjusted for inflation
Source: GasBuddy
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