Mississippi has had cheapest gas in the US for years, but not anymore. Here’s why.

For years, Mississippi could brag that it had the cheapest gas in the country.

Not anymore.

As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, ten other states had average prices that were more affordable than the Magnolia State, according to data from AAA.

But a petroleum expert says cheap gas will return to Mississippi soon enough.

“This is going to be a marathon,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “We are in the midst of a race, Mississippi jumped out ahead, but I do expect them to fade back down to the lowest prices.”

De Haan couldn’t give a timeline as to when we’d see fuel cost relief, but he did say the high gas prices might be here for a while.

“The field goal posts are moving, but I feel right now these prices are going to stick around for a couple months,” he said.

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Mississippi ticked up another 7 cents overnight Tuesday to $3.92, according to AAA.

One year ago, Mississippians were paying just $2.46 on average.

The average price for a gallon of gas on the Mississippi Coast was $3.90 on Wednesday, according to AAA.

De Haan says Mississippi will get to $4 at some point in the next couple weeks, which will break a record set in 2008.

Those who have been following the prices of gas around the Coast may have noticed some stations charging a dime or two more than the average. At truck stops along Interstate 10, prices are climbing even higher, with one business charging $4.19 per gallon for regular unleaded gas.

Although it might seem like it, De Haan says this likely isn’t price gauging and is just part of the fluctuating market.

“99.999% of the time they are just passing more of the cost along to customers,” he said. “Every attorney general is looking to prosecute for price gauging. They want to captivate before a midterm election.”

The risk simply isn’t worth the reward, he says.

This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 5:50 AM.