Local gas prices drop below national average

Drivers in Independence and Stone counties are paying well below the national average for gasoline this week, according to GasBuddy.

In Independence County, the lowest posted price in Batesville on Tuesday was $2.65 a gallon, GasBuddy’s local listings show. In neighboring Stone County, the lowest posted price per gallon on GasBuddy was $2.75.

Those local prices compare with a national average hovering near $3.20 in recent days, and a GasBuddy Labor Day projection of $3.15, the lowest holiday level since 2020. That puts parts of northeast Arkansas roughly 50–55 cents a gallon cheaper than the national price.

GasBuddy, which collects data from over 12 million price reports across more than 150,000 gas stations nationwide, identified Arkansas as one of the three states with the lowest average prices.

“With the unofficial end of summer now behind us, we saw the lowest national average price of gasoline on Labor Day since 2020, with prices lower than a year ago in all but three states,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “This caps off the most affordable summer at the pump since 2021, with motorists spending $11.3 billion less on gasoline compared to last year. While summer may be in the rearview mirror, low gas prices aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, so long as we avoid major hurricanes or other disruptions, we’re on solid footing to see the national average dip to $2.99 per gallon this fall.”

GasBuddy’s crowd-sourced prices can change throughout the day as users update station listings.