VALDOSTA — Gas prices in the Azalea City jumped last week, outpacing state and national trends.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Valdosta early this week was $2.03, up six cents from the previous week, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

The lowest gas price reported in the city Monday was $1.85 per gallon at a West Hill Avenue store, the price tracking website gasbuddy.com said. That does not include buyer’s clubs, where only club members get the lowest prices.

Monday, Valdosta had the fifth-highest gas prices among the 15 Georgia markets monitored by AAA — behind Savannah, Macon, Brunswick and Augusta but ahead of Warner Robins, Rome, Hinesville, Gainesville, Dalton, Columbus, Catoosa, Atlanta, Athens and Albany.

Nationally, the average price of gasoline Monday was $2.19 per gallon, up a penny more than the last seven days, while Georgia’s average, $1.99 per gallon, was also up by one cent during the same period, the auto club said.

“Gasoline stocks hit their lowest level since the pandemic began and demand dipped on the week,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “These decreases typically lead to cheaper pump prices, but this summer we’ve seen atypical gas price trends.”

In Monday midday market action, benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 28 cents to settle at $42.62 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 78 cents to $45.13 a barrel.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.