AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Gas prices across the state of Texas continue to rise, with the average price reaching its highest level since 2014, according to the latest AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch.
Drivers in the Austin metro are paying an average of $2.79 this week, up two cents from last week and 91 cents more than a year ago. Across the state, the average is up one cent this week to $2.81, some 93 cents higher than last year.
Nationally, the average is up two cents this week to $3.14 a gallon, which is 96 cents higher than a year ago.
Drivers in El Paso and Odessa are seeing the state's highest prices on average, with drivers paying $3.04 a gallon, while drivers in Amarillo are seeing the state's lowest prices on average at $2.72 a gallon.
According to AAA data, the Texas statewide average is at its highest level since October 2014. Higher gasoline demand, and more expensive crude oil, have led to the price increase at the pump as a record number of Texans traveled by car over the Independence Day holiday weekend. Market analysts anticipate gas prices could keep going up by approximately 20 to 30 cents during the summer months.
“The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded on average in the Lone Star State has increased by nearly 45 percent since the start of the year due to increased demand and higher crude oil prices as more people are traveling for leisure and business,” said AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster. “Market analysts anticipate that this upward trend could continue through the summer.”
Despite the increase at the pump, drivers across the state are enjoying the third-lowest average in the country, bested only by Mississippi and Louisiana.