Florence, South Carolina – Gas prices across South Carolina are falling again, giving drivers some room after weeks of pressure at the pump. According to most recent report by GasBuddy, South Carolina’s average dropped 17.4 cents in one week, reaching $3.44 per gallon as of Monday, based on GasBuddy’s survey of 3,028 stations statewide.
In Florence, the decline is also visible. AAA data listed the Florence average for regular gas at $3.476 per gallon on June 22, down from $3.617 a week earlier and $4.173 a month earlier. That is nearly 70 cents of relief in a month. But it was still well above the $2.809 average recorded a year earlier.
Florence News Journal wanted to see how locals react to most recent price drops and how it affects their families. Our team spoke with several Florence locals on Monday to find out.
Monica watched the numbers slow on the pump and said the cheaper fill-up should have felt better than it did.
She had stopped after work, still in her uniform, still doing the math in her head. Groceries first. Gas second. Light bill next. A few weeks ago, she said, the order kept changing because every trip across town seemed to cost more than it should.
“Yes, it is a relief,” Monica said. “But the damage has already been done. People had to put things on credit cards, skip things, cancel things. A lower price today does not erase what families already paid.”
That is the part Tyrone said he cannot ignore.
He had pulled into the same station with less than a quarter tank and no plan to fill it all the way. He said he checks prices before leaving home now, even for routine drives.
“I trust no one and nothing with gas prices anymore,” Tyrone said. “They could go up in literally days again, and nothing could be planned. You think you can take a trip, then the price changes and the whole budget changes.”
That worry is not only local frustration. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said that prices fell in nearly every state last week and diesel prices moved lower in all 50 states. But he warned drivers not to assume the pressure is over.
“Average gasoline prices declined in nearly every state over the last week, while all 50 states saw average diesel prices move lower,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “However, the outlook is far from settled.”
Nationally, the average price also dropped, falling 14.1 cents to $3.85 per gallon as of Monday, according to GasBuddy data. That was 67.2 cents lower than a month earlier, but still 67.3 cents higher than a year ago. In South Carolina, the state average was 64.8 cents lower than a month earlier, but 58.7 cents higher than a year earlier.
The spread inside the state also remained wide. GasBuddy reported the cheapest station in South Carolina at $3.07 per gallon Sunday, while the most expensive was $4.37, a $1.30 difference.
For Elise, who said her family is hoping to take a short summer trip, that difference matters.
“With summer holiday ahead, it is great to see some relief,” Elise said. “But I look around Florence and a lot of people are visibly in bad financial condition. Gas stayed elevated long enough to do real damage. It is not just the vacation. It is work, school, doctor appointments, everything.”
The pressure is sharper in a city where many families rely on cars for daily life. A lower pump price can help, but it does not immediately repair months of higher transportation costs layered on top of food, rent, utilities and car payments.
Diesel prices add another concern.
AAA listed Florence diesel at $4.564 per gallon on June 22, down from $4.778 a week earlier and $5.222 a month earlier, but still nearly a dollar higher than the $3.570 average from a year ago. Diesel costs can affect delivery, freight, construction and food prices, meaning pump prices can reach households even when they are not the ones buying diesel.
De Haan also warned that global uncertainty could still change the picture quickly, especially if tensions affecting oil movement through the Strait of Hormuz worsen.
Despite this, gasoline prices aren’t yet at significant risk of a spike, as some vessels have continued to move through the Strait. Still, should the situation worsen or escalate further, motorists could see that risk change quickly,” said De Haan.
Gas prices in Florence, however, continue the declining trend. As of Tuesday morning, user-reported data on GasBuddy for Florence shows the following prices:
- Exxon (6515 E Palmetto St) – $3.19
- Shell (3102 Hoffmeyer Rd) – $3.24
- Murphy USA (411 Pamplico Hwy) – $3.21
At the Florence station, Monica put the nozzle back and looked at the total before closing her gas cap.
“This is better,” she said. “But better is not the same as affordable.”
