(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
DETROIT - Michigan gas prices hit their 2021-high this week as the price for a gallon of gas rose 16 cents.
A Michigan driver can expect to pay $3.43 per gallon on average around the state. It's about 17 cents more than this time last month and $1.43 more than this time last year.
Motorists can expect to break the $50 mark if they have a 15-gallon tank of gas on their car, which is about $12 more expensive than when prices were at their highest in January.
The most expensive gas in the state was in Saginaw, Lansing, and Jackson, where a gallon of gas cost $3.48, $3.47, and $3.46 respectively.
Metro Detroit had the lowest average gas price, near $3.40 per gallon.
AAA, an industry trade group that tracks gas prices in the U.S. said data from the Energy Information Administration reported a decrease in gasoline stocks by 1.5 million bbl - or barrels of crude oil. Meanwhile, gasoline demand continued to rise.
Both the demand increase and the elevated cost of crude oil prices contributed to the hike in money.
The pressure at the pump could get especially bad in the Midwest, where inventories fell to their lowest level since November of 2014, AAA said.
"Low regional stock levels in the Midwest helped put pressure on Michigan pump prices pushing them to a new 2021-high," said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group. "If stock levels remain tight alongside high crude oil prices, motorists could expect gas prices to remain elevated through this week."