by Alyssa Oursler | August 21, 2012 11:24 am
The end-of-summer blues have spread to the gas pump. Gas prices, after sinking steadily in the spring, recently spiked to seasonal highs[1] — and consumers aren’t so happy.
Nationally, the average price of gasoline is around $3.72 per gallon — a huge jump from the $3.57 it sat at a year ago. Prices yesterday, for example, were the highest ever on record for that date — and more daily records are expected to be set as that trend continues. By Labor Day, the cost per gallon could reach $3.75.
Southern states and parts of the Midwest still have the lowest prices. South Carolina is the cheapest place to fill up your tank, while Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho all saw prices fall year-over-year.
Hawaii, on the other hand — which always suffers from high prices at the pump thanks to its non-mainland location — is facing $4+ gas, while mainlanders California and Illinois are seeing similar sticker shock.
Still, prices in the most expensive states still haven’t reached the 2008 high of $4.11, and prices are expected to fall soon after Labor Day.
Below is a state-by-state roster of average gas prices from AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report[2], listed from most to least expensive:
| State | Price | State | Price | State | Price | ||
| Hawaii | $4.231 | South Dakota | $3.747 | Idaho | $3.643 | ||
| California | $4.119 | West Virginia | $3.744 | Oklahoma | $3.586 | ||
| Illinois | $4.012 | Pennsylvania | $3.729 | Montana | $3.585 | ||
| Connecticut | $3.994 | Indiana | $3.727 | Virginia | $3.578 | ||
| Washington | $3.982 | Ohio | $3.719 | Louisiana | $3.554 | ||
| Oregon | $3.981 | Delaware | $3.711 | Missouri | $3.548 | ||
| D.C. | $3.953 | Minnesota | $3.710 | Texas | $3.546 | ||
| New York | $3.944 | New Hampshire | $3.709 | Utah | $3.540 | ||
| Alaska | $3.920 | Nevada | $3.702 | Wyoming | $3.532 | ||
| Michigan | $3.883 | Maryland | $3.693 | Arkansas | $3.528 | ||
| Wisconsin | $3.881 | North Carolina | $3.682 | Alabama | $3.519 | ||
| Maine | $3.834 | Kentucky | $3.675 | Colorado | $3.517 | ||
| Rhode Island | $3.817 | Iowa | $3.673 | Tennessee | $3.499 | ||
| North Dakota | $3.789 | Florida | $3.665 | New Mexico | $3.489 | ||
| Massachusetts | $3.756 | Kansas | $3.655 | Mississippi | $3.485 | ||
| Nebraska | $3.750 | Georgia | $3.652 | Arizona | $3.464 | ||
| Vermont | $3.750 | New Jersey | $3.649 | South Carolina | $3.438 |
Source URL: http://investorplace.com/2012/08/record-gas-prices-a-state-by-state-look/
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