Gasoline prices continue to creep downward, and they may continue that trend for the rest of the year, according to a company that tracks prices at the pumps.
GasBuddy.com predicts that motorists in as many as 20 states could see average gas prices crack the $2 barrier, possibly to $1.98 a gallon at around the holidays.
“It’s interesting to remember that last year the national average shed more than $1.27 from Aug. 1 through Dec. 31, when the U.S. average was $2.24,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. “This year, if we see just half of that decline, it will bring us to below $2 per gallon.”
Locally, the average retail price of a gallon of gasoline fell 4.6 cents last week, to about $2.60, based on GasBuddy’s daily survey of 263 gas outlets in Central Massachusetts. Compared to this week last year, prices are 95 cents lower per gallon, and down nearly 13 cents over the last month.
Nationally, the average price last week dropped 5.5 cents to $2.65, Gas Buddy said.
