Natrona’s Still the Bargain Pump: Prices Nudge Up, Remain Lowest in Wyoming

Gas is inching higher almost everywhere, and Natrona County isn’t immune—but it’s still the cheapest fill-up in the state.

Natrona’s average rose 2 cents to $2.80/gal, holding the No. 1 spot for the third straight week and staying 7 cents below the next-best county average, according to AAA. Laramie County sits at $2.87 (up 8¢), while Albany County jumped 14¢ to $2.96, ceding the bronze to Goshen by a tenth of a cent.

Zooming out, trackers show the same slight upward drift:

• National average (GasBuddy): $3.16/gal, up 0.3¢ week over week; +3.1¢ vs. a month ago; –6.1¢ vs. a year ago.
• AAA national: $3.19/gal, up 1¢ on the week.
• Wyoming statewide (AAA): $3.13/gal, up 3¢.
• Diesel (US): $3.684/gal, up 1.9¢ (GasBuddy).

“Most of the nation’s 50 states saw gas prices rise over the last week,” said Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy, noting a few bright spots in the Great Lakes after BP’s Whiting, IN refinery restarted post-storm.

Seventeen states still average below $3, but the West Coast could feel more pressure from seasonal maintenance and a SoCal refinery shutdown. The caveat: the switch back to winter gasoline kicks in next week for most regions, which “may bring relief toward month-end,” De Haan said. Add in OPEC+ planning a modest production increase in October, and crude could stay on a shorter leash.

Oil & supply backdrop

• WTI opened the week near $63.12/bbl; Brent around $66.79—both under last week’s starts.
• UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo expects October’s headline +137k bpd OPEC+ hike to translate to ~60–70k bpd net, given quota catch-ups and capacity limits.
• EIA (week ending Aug. 29): US crude +2.4M bbl (still ~4% below seasonal avg); SPR +0.5M to 404.7M. Gasoline –3.8M (~2% below 5-yr avg). Distillates +1.7M (~13% below 5-yr). Refineries ran 94.3% (–0.3 pt). Implied gas demand 9.117M bpd (–123k bpd).

Price stats to watch

• Most common US gas price: $2.99/gal; median: $2.99.
• Top 10% of stations: $4.42 | Bottom 10%: $2.60.
• Lowest state avgs: MS $2.69, OK $2.69, TX $2.72.
• Highest: CA $4.57, HI $4.41, WA $4.39.
• Biggest weekly movers: Ohio (–14.3¢), Michigan (–12.7¢); New Jersey (+12.6¢), New York (+10.7¢), Connecticut (+9.5¢).
• Diesel: most common $3.69; median $3.59. Lowest diesel states TX $3.18, MS $3.28, OK $3.31; highest HI $5.21, CA $5.11, WA $5.01.

Prices are nudging up, but Natrona County keeps punching below Wyoming’s average. If winter-blend gasoline and that small OPEC+ bump play out as expected, late-month relief is still on the table.

With input from Oil City News, K2 Radio, and Wyoming Tribune Eagle.