Gasoline prices continued to inch downward this week, extending a two-month trend of lower prices at the pump.
The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular in Georgia on Monday was $3.35, down 4 cents from a week ago, according to AAA. Other grades were down as well: mid-grade was $3.53, down from $3.57; premium was $3.68, down from $3.72; and diesel was $3.81, down from $3.86. A month ago regular in Georgia averaged $3.63, the same price it was a year ago.
Metro Atlanta prices were a bit above the state average at $3.38, $3.56, $3.73 and $3.86.
The lowest prices were found in the Augusta area, where regular was averaging $3.20 a gallon; the highest was in Athens at $3.41.
While lower pump prices are good news for consumers, the reason for them may not be. The price of oil fell to an eight-month low Monday, a reaction to a disappointing jobs report from the Labor Department on Friday. The report showed that U.S. employers added just 69,000 jobs in May, the fewest in a year and far below projections. The unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent from 8.1, the first increase in a year.
