Gasoline prices have been trending downward in the month of June, with motorists throughout the Kenosha area paying a low of about $2.10 per gallon for regular unleaded fuel Sunday.

On average, Kenosha County is at $2.19 per gallon, holding steady for the weekend, according to Gasbuddy.com, which monitors gasoline prices throughout the state and nation.

Prices were down about 3.9 cents a gallon compared with last week and down 17.5 cents to the gallon compared with last month, in which the average was $2.36 gallon.

Compared with last year, gas prices have dropped 27.1 cents, according to the website.

Whether the prices continue to dip, however, depends on the demand as the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaches. According to AAA, Independence Day is expected to see a record-breaking 44.2 million Americans who will travel 50 miles or farther from home between June 30 and July 4, whether on land, sea or in the air — or about 1.25 million more travelers compared with 2016.

Travel officials with AAA attributed the projected increased travel to a combination of factors.

“Combined, strong employment, rising incomes and higher consumer confidence bode well for the travel industry, in particular this Independence Day weekend,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president for travel and publishing.

Motorists’ reactions at the pump as to whether they foresaw more travel this summer were mixed at the Kwik Trip on Highway 50, however.

“No, it doesn’t matter to me,” Patrick Cerney of Schaumberg, Ill., who regularly visits his son in Kenosha. “I fill up here, though, because it’s a lot cheaper than filling up in Illinois.

Bill Wagie of Wauwatosa, said he, too, was not doing more traveling.

With oil prices falling as of last week, Wagie said he expected the gasoline prices to fall.

“We’re doing normal” travel, he said. “But, I love the low prices.”

Simlarly, Curt Schmid, of Pleasant Prairie, appreciated the lower prices but said he wasn’t doing any more travel than he usually does.

“No. But it sure makes the paycheck go farther,” he said.

Dre Anderson, of Germantown, said with the gasoline prices plummeting, he planned to travel more between Illinois and Wisconsin to visit family and friends. He had just attended a wedding in Lake Geneva, and Kenosha is a meeting point for him to see his son.

“I’d say definitely,” he said. “After Fourth of July, I plan to go out of town to visit some friends in Kansas City.”

Lou Perrine, who owns gasoline and convenience stores of the same name in Kenosha, said that it’s hard to say whether gasoline prices are inducing more motorists to take trips out of town. Anecdotally, however, Perrine has heard from customers who’ve told him they plan to travel more this summer.

“They have said they plan to do more out-of-town traveling than they have in the past,” he said. “A lot more people will be doing that. They’re going to be doing more of that this summer than last summer.”

Perrine said gas consumption overall is down.

“I think that’s the reason the gas prices have been dropping,” said Perrine, where regular unleaded was at $2.09 per gallon. “The barrel has been dropping and that affects the gas prices.”

The economy is doing well and that is also contributing to more people traveling, he said.

“They feel more comfortable spending money on traveling,” he said.

Another indication, said Perrine is that he’s selling more permits, such as fishing licenses and park permits, that he sells on-site for the state of Wisconsin.

“We’re getting a rush of parks up north that we’ve never had before for that…you have to drive to get up there,” he said. “That’s a sign that people are traveling more or looking to travel more that they’re asking for park permits.

Perrine said typically he sells two or three in a month. This month, he’s already sold a dozen.