As Memorial Day approaches, which has been called the unofficial start of the summer, GasBuddy forecasts that the national average price of gasoline will be around $3.08 per gallon, making it the cheapest prices at the pump for Memorial Day since 2021. Locally, the average price at the pump in Monmouth is $3.39 per gallon, $3.15 to $3.19 a gallon in Galesburg, $3.20 in Macomb, and $2.89 per gallon in Burlington, Iowa. City of Monmouth Communications Director Ken Helms explains the price difference in Monmouth:
“Our local motor fuel tax that we have is only two cents, so that doesn’t explain any kind of large variance between the two. It literally comes down to what the market is supporting and what the providers of these services choose to ask for compensation. I do know that we have a very high traffic volume count that goes around our bypass and at all our intersections. Illinois Department of Transportation does sampling on that I believe every two years. It could just be that there is a higher volume, so it is sustaining a higher price, but that price is definitely set by the retailers and is not affected by any local motor fuel taxes put on there.”
According to a GasBuddy survey, nearly 70 percent of Americans plan to hit the road this summer, with gas prices anticipated to average around $3.02 per gallon.
