Sublette County Gas
$2.31/gallon for regular unleaded gas two weeks ago seems like a bargain as prices climb to between $2.45 and $2.65 per gallon in Big Piney and Pinedale this week.
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The price of Gas
Big Piney & Marbleton cheaper than least expensive state in the country
August 23, 2005
It’s very painful to gas up your rig these days no matter where you live, but we count ourselves lucky that we don’t have to pay the price at the pump in Hawaii, California or the District of Columbia. The price for regular unleaded gas when we checked today was $2.833/gallon in Hawaii, $2.798/gallon in California and $2.731/gallon in DC. Wyoming’s state average price for a gallon of unleaded gas today was 2.490. Pinedale stations averaged $2.652/gallon and Big Piney and Marbleton stations averaged $2.456/gallon.
We do our weekly Gas Price Survey on Pinedale Online for Sublette County, checking stations in Pinedale, Big Piney and Marbleton. We also post the Wyoming and national daily averages. For most of the summer, Pinedale has been 10-20 cents a gallon more expensive at the pump than the price to fuel up in Big Piney and Marbleton.
There are a lot of factors that go into the price of a gallon of gas besides just the wholesale cost a station must pay. Pinedale’s higher cost can be directly attributed to the high cost of keeping employees and operating costs for Pinedale businesses rather than any difference in the wholesale price of gas between the two ends of the county.
Everything is more expensive in Pinedale, but most dramatic is the high cost to keep employees. Pinedale businesses have to offer wages of $10/hour plus to even get potential employees to look twice at their jobs in convenience stores, for motel maids and counter help. Companies that can offer higher paying jobs with benefits are drawing people away from the traditionally lower-paying service jobs. If you can breathe and walk, you can easily find a job in Pinedale right now. (If you don’t already live here, don’t rush to town looking for a job because of that comment. The hard part is finding a place to live, because we also have a serious housing shortage.)
With the Labor Day weekend just around the corner, the last major travel holiday for the summer, reports are that gas prices will continue to remain high at least until then. Industry analysts report that gas prices are likely to increase, not decrease, between now and Labor Day weekend September 3-5. Gas prices have climbed by roughly 73 cents a gallon in the last year.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA) Fuel Gauge Report website, Utah had the lowest state average for regular unleaded fuel at $2.473 per gallon. Three out of four Big Piney and Marbleton gas stations beat Utah’s lowest-in-the-country average price! Mini Mart, Short Stop and the Midway Truck Stop are all around $2.449 per gallon. Diesel costs between $2.699-$2.739 per gallon in Big Piney/Marbleton.
Pinedale Online Gas Price Survey Question: The AAA reports that their surveys indicate consumers for the most part haven’t made major changes in driving habits due to the price of gas. Has the price at the pump affected your driving habits or plans to visit Pinedale or Wyoming this past summer or for an upcoming visit? Let us know! Even if you live in Pinedale and have started to drive to Big Piney to gas up to get the $.20/gallon savings, we’d like to hear your thoughts. Send us an e-mail and tell us if the price at the pump has affected your driving habits or plans for your upcoming Labor Day weekend trip: support@pinedaleonline.com.
Regular Unleaded gas prices for selected states (as of 8/23/05):
$2.833 - Hawaii
$2.798 - California
$2.731 - District of Columbia
$2.651 – Nebraska
$2.645 – South Dakota
$2.617 – Colorado
$2.561 - Texas
$2.529 - Montana
$2.520 - Idaho
$2.511 – Alaska
$2.473 – Utah
Related Links:
AAA Fuel Gauge Report
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