Utah gas prices top U.S. average — several factors can be blamed

Are Utahns being overcharged for gasoline? Comparing a list of what customers pay at the pump for gasoline only (minus the taxes) might make you think so.

Utah has the third-highest average regular gasoline price in the nation at $3.79 per gallon — not counting taxes.

Only residents of Alaska ($4.40 a gallon) and Hawaii ($4.16) are paying more than those in the Beehive State for gasoline only. Wyoming also has an average cost of $3.79 a gallon without taxes.

That's based on AAA's latest (July 22) "Daily Fuel Gauge Report" and subtracting each state's total state and federal taxes for a gallon of gasoline, as reported by the American Petroleum Institute.

The U.S. average without taxes is $3.68 a gallon.

And that's not taking into account a true "apples to apples" comparison. Utah's regular gasoline is only 85 octane — presumably less expensive than 87 octane, the standard for regular gasoline in all but the high-elevation Rocky Mountain states.

Take Utah's midgrade (87 octane) gas average in a state-by-state comparison (without taxes) and it remains third highest, but its average cost rises by 21 cents to $4 per gallon.

Utah's gasoline tax is 42.9 cents per gallon, compared to the U.S. average state tax of 49.4 cents.

"That's a historic thing," Rolayne Fairclough, AAA Utah spokeswoman said of Utah's high gasoline prices.

In a similar without-taxes survey by the Deseret News 13 months ago, Utah ranked as the fifth most expensive state.

Currently Utah has the sixth-highest regular gasoline price average in the nation at $4.22 per gallon including taxes, according to AAA — which is, of course, what you pay at the pump. The current U.S. average is $4.06 per gallon.

Six other Western states — California, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Nevada and Idaho — are also among the top 10 for the highest prices of gasoline. And, the missing three — Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming — aren't far behind.

So, why do the Western states have the highest gasoline costs any way you calculate it?

Fairclough has never looked at the without-taxes comparison, but she isn't surprised to find all the Western states among the highest.