Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Livingston County motorists are fed up with the pain at the pump.

A number of residents have reached out to WHMI in recent weeks about local gas prices that routinely and significantly exceed those in surrounding areas - even after the recent weeks of price drops. Some are also suggesting a boycott of local gas stations.

AAA Michigan reports that prices have dropped another 20-cents and the state average has now fallen below the $4 mark. AAA Spokeswoman Adrienne Woodland says the state average as of Wednesday stood at $3.98 for regular unleaded – down 17-cents compared to this time last week.

Woodland says a couple of metro areas around the state are below the $4 mark but there are several other areas above that, including in Livingston County. She says the local average Wednesday was $4.33. Many in the Howell area were around $4.35 a gallon, but prices definitely differed.

Woodland says some of the major factors driving pump prices down are the drop in crude oil prices and some occasions where demand has dropped during the summer- particularly after the 4th of July travel holiday.

Woodland says the metro Detroit area includes Wayne, Macomb and Oakland Counties. Of those, she says Wayne is actually one of the lowest-priced counties in the state, with Macomb being moderate and Oakland typically the highest.

Woodland says a lot of different factors go into pricing – including supply and demand. She says that includes the supply of gasoline in a particular area, how easy it is to get that supply to a particular area, and the demand in that area.

Woodland noted that demand is also different in some areas depending on the time of year. She said competition is another big factor and the availability of a variety of gas stations in a particular area.

Woodland WHMI that Livingston is the highest for prices when looking at surrounding counties but not what she would describe as a huge difference – noting however it is certainly one of the counties with the highest prices in southern Michigan.

Anyone with information regarding potential unfair gasoline pricing practices is asked to contact the Michigan Attorney General's Office. That number and more information are available in the provided link.