SLO County drivers are paying more than $5 a gallon for gas as prices tick back up
After a few months of relief at the pump, San Luis Obispo County drivers are seeing an uptick in local gas prices.
According to data from AAA, which tracks California gas prices by county, San Luis Obispo County drivers on Tuesday were paying an average of $5.16 for a gallon of regular gas — up from $5.07 a week before.
That made SLO County the most expensive county for gas on California’s Central Coast.
According to the data, Santa Barbara County’s average was $4.90, Ventura County’s was $4.97 and Monterey County’s was $4.99 as of Tuesday.
Meanwhile, SLO County was the sixth most expensive county for gas in California, according to the AAA data.
It ranked behind Mono County, where the average cost of a gallon og fas was $5.79 on Tuesday, and Humboldt County with an average cost of $5.42, Trinity County with $5.31, Del Norte County at $5.24 and Inyo County with $5.17.
The uptick in gas prices echoes a national trend, with average prices around the country increasing slightly since the beginning of the month.
According to AAA, one reason could be an increase in demand, though it could also be due to the seasonal switch to summer-blend gasoline.
“This blend is designed to lower emissions during the summer and is more expensive to refine,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said in a news release March 2. “Switching to summer blend usually adds about 5 to 10 cents to the price of gasoline.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 2:09 PM.
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