Last Updated on July 20, 2026 8:31 am
The Boone-area low for regular unleaded gasoline is holding at $3.59 per gallon this week, unchanged from last Tuesday's price, according to GasBuddy data. The steady reading comes after last week's 15-cent jump snapped an eight-week streak of declining prices across the High Country.
Nine of the county's cheapest stations are clustered at the $3.59 mark, including Sheetz on Chestnut Drive, multiple Speedway locations on East King Street, Old East King Street, NC-105 South and Blowing Rock Road, Circle K stores on US-421 South, Blowing Rock Road and NC-105 South, and Quality Plus on US-321 South in Blowing Rock. The top end of the county's cheapest stations sits at $3.64, recorded at the Speedway on Valley Boulevard in Blowing Rock.
Statewide, AAA puts North Carolina's average price for regular unleaded at $3.682 per gallon, while the national average climbed to $4.003 — inching toward the $4 mark for the first time in weeks. AAA's latest header for its national tracker reads “National Average Moves Higher, Inches Toward $4 per Gallon,” reflecting a broader upward trend that mirrors what Boone-area drivers saw last week.
Diesel prices continued climbing this week. The county's cheapest diesel is $4.94 per gallon at Quality Plus on US-321 South in Blowing Rock, up 15 cents from last week's countywide low of $4.79. Boone-area diesel prices range from that $4.94 low up to $4.99 at several Speedway, Circle K and Sheetz locations.
The pump price swings follow the collapse of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which pushed oil prices higher and ended a two-month run of falling gas prices nationwide. GasBuddy's head of petroleum analysis, Patrick De Haan, pointed to the renewed conflict as the driver behind last week's shift and cautioned that additional volatility remains possible while markets react. This week's flat local reading suggests the Boone-area market may be stabilizing even as diesel and national averages continue to climb.
Prices remain well above where they stood a year ago. AAA's national average for regular unleaded is up more than 86 cents from $3.141 a year ago, and diesel has climbed even further, from $3.727 to $5.108 nationally over the same period.
WataugaOnline publishes a weekly gas prices report. Prices are sourced from GasBuddy and AAA. Prices may vary by location and change after posting.
(Information provided by GasBuddy and AAA Carolinas)
