Why are South Dakota Gas Prices Rising?
If you have been mildly confused about all the extra cars on the road compared to two months ago, you're not the only one. I got used to much less traffic around 5:00 pm. But that's also why gas prices are going up.
Demand is on the rise across the country, and also in South Dakota as more people are driving their cars and driving gas prices upward.
The average price for a gallon of gas in the 605 is $1.98. That is up to eight cents in the last week and up 30 cents in the last month according to AAA.
“As Americans drive more, they are re-fueling gasoline demand levels, which is helping to lift pump prices, said Marilyn Buskohl, AAA spokesperson in a press release. “Higher demand will contribute to increasing gas prices in the coming weeks, but they aren’t going to spike to typical summer prices. That’s because demand won’t be sufficient enough to drive down stock levels. Gasoline stocks sit at a significant surplus of nearly 24 million bbl year-over-year.”
The average price for a gallon of gas in Sioux Falls is slightly higher than the state average at $2.02 per gallon according to GasBuddy.com. The lowest price for gas is at Costco for $1.79. Fleet Farm and the truck stops on the north end of the city are all selling gas for $1.85 per gallon.
If your closest neighborhood gas station is selling gas for $2.04, how much will you save driving all the way to the north end for that $1.85 gas? Most of the time when I fill up my car it's around 13 gallons I put in. At that price, it would save me $3.25. Is it worth it? Nah.