NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Even as the prices at the pump rise across the country, they aren't doing so yet in Kansas.
"We've been in a fairly stable period here with gas prices," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "We are up slightly over where we were a month ago. The average today in Kansas is $2.74 a gallon. That's six cents higher than we were a month ago, but we're down a cent from last week at this time."
A year ago, gas was $3.17 a gallon in Kansas.
"The Kansas average is 41 cents less than the national average," Steward said. "We're currently fourth lowest in the nation. Only Oklahoma, Wyoming and Colorado have a lower average gas price right now."
Area county averages:
Reno: $2.60
McPherson: $2.79
Harvey: $2.65
Sedgwick: $2.77
Kingman: $2.78
Pratt: $2.75
Stafford: $2.79
Rice: $2.74
"Crude oil prices have been moving up slightly, just looking at some of the situation going on in the Middle East," Steward said. "Israel recently rejected a cease fire deal in Gaza. We've also seen U.S. gas inventory fall in the past week or so. Those things have been putting a little bit of pressure, upwardly, on crude oil prices."
More than half of the price of a given gallon of gasoline is based in the price of the barrel of oil from which it is refined when that barrel is on the market.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.