FARGO, N.D. (AAA) – At $2.10, North Dakota motorists are paying 27 cents a gallon more for gas today than they were one month ago.

Despite the increase, motorist are paying the lowest price for the first day of July since 2004. Last year the average stood at $2.61.

Gasoline demand has steadily increased as people return to work and take summer drive trips. AAA projects Americans will take 683 million road trips between July 1 and Sept. 30, a slight decrease from last year. While overall gas demand is much lower than a typical summer reading due to ongoing impacts of Covid-19, it’s the highest recorded since late March.

Looking forward, gas prices are likely to remain historically low, but may start to reflect 2017 prices. That year oil production outpaced demand and allowed for low gas prices throughout most of the summer. The average of $2.22 on July 1, 2017, was just 12 cents higher than today’s average.

For more information on gas prices, visit AAA.com/gas.