Utah among highest gas prices

SALT LAKE CITY — The Beehive State's average fuel price is now ranked No. 11 nationwide, according to AAA.

Utah’s current average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.72, up two cents over last month. The current price is about 10 cents higher than a year ago.

Of the Utah cities surveyed, Salt Lake City had the highest average price at $3.80 per gallon, while St. George was the lowest at $3.69 per gallon.

The average price nationally fell 22 cents to $3.54, which was 17 cents less than the national price a year ago.

“Over the last month, a number of states west of the Rocky Mountains saw their average pump prices rise as refining concerns and tightening supply applied upward pressure to the cost of gasoline,” said AAA Insurance spokesperson Matt Skryja.

While Western states are just coming out of a period of increasing prices, the opposite is true of the national average. With the exception of May 16, the national retail price of gasoline has fallen for 55 of the last 56 days, AAA stated.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, demand for gasoline has dropped across the country over the past week.

Among all 50 states, Hawaii has the highest state average price for gasoline at $4.47 per gallon. Besides Hawaii — Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington state all had averages above $4 per gallon.

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