If you're among the roughly 35 million Americans hitting the road this Labor Day weekend, expect to pay more to fill up your vehicle this year. Gas prices are the highest they've been since 2014.
“We did have record demand throughout the year and oil prices were fluctuating, especially in the spring,” says Daniel Armbruster, spokesman for AAA Texas. “We had two or three months in a row in Texas and the U.S. where we saw record demand.”
The price in Houston is holding steady at about $2.59 a gallon, two cents lower than last week, but 42 cents higher than a year ago.
“If you go to Beaumont you're going to be paying $2.60 which is about what you're paying in Houston, and then also Austin is hitting $2.60 as well,” says Armbruster. “If you're going to the DFW area it's actually a little cheaper, $2.57 in Dallas.”
“The statewide average went down one cent this week to $2.60, the national average went up a penny to $2.84,” he says. “When it comes to Texas prices, the highest price can be found in Midland at $3.06 and the lowest price in Wichita Falls at $2.51.”
However, Armbruster says gas prices are actually edging lower with lower demand at the end of summer and inventories continuing to build.