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The average price per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline in North Carolina has fallen by approximately six cents from last month’s average, but is still 85 cents above last year’s average, according to data gathered by the price tracking site gasbuddy.com.

The state’s average is currently $3.046 per gallon. For reference, the state’s highest recorded average dating back to 2008 was $4.038 per gallon, recorded on July 16, 2008. The lowest recorded average was $1.551 per gallon on Jan. 2, 2009. In 2021, the highest average was $3.350 and the lowest was $2.097.

In Greenville, the closest metropolitan area for which Gas Buddy provides insights, the average price per gallon is $3.139. That’s approximately 19 cents above last week’s average, 10 cents above last month’s average and 90 cents above last year’s average.

The average gas price for the 27889 zip code is $2.864, according to Gas Buddy.

AAA said in a press release that gas prices rose last week primarily because of a price surge in crude oil.

“Markets, in general, don’t like uncertainty and volatility, and the oil market is no exception,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “The oil production cuts by Kazakhstan demonstrate that in times of tight supply, it doesn’t take much to put upward pressure on the overall price of oil.”

North Carolina saw gas prices decline near the end of 2021, which a trend an AAA spokesperson said is typical for that time of year due to low demand.