Missouri gas prices move closer to national average

Show-Me State gas prices rose 2.1 cents during the past week to $2.12 per gallon yesterday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 3,940 filling stations throughout Missouri.

Comparatively, the national average ticked down 0.6 cents to $2.36 per gallon, according to a news release.

Missouri prices again rose this morning to $2.17 per gallon, as the U.S. average moved to $2.38 per gallon. In Springfield, the lowest price was $2.08 per gallon at four filling stations. Prices elsewhere in the city ranged from $2.09 to $2.15 per gallon.

This morning, Missouri ranked ninth on GasBuddy’s list of the lowest gas prices in the nation. South Carolina was No. 1, at $2.03 per gallon, while California was last with an average of $3.11 per gallon.

Citing lower figures than previous years, GasBuddy Senior Analyst Patrick DeHaan said the summer should be prime for driving trips.

“Summer gas prices are shaping up to be quite a bit lower than previous expectations and similar to what we saw last summer. This sets up a great summer season to hit the road, pointing to rising U.S. oil production in the midst of oil production cuts from OPEC for the stable prices,” he said in the release.

The lowest cost of gas in Missouri this morning was $1.94 per gallon at two stations in Aurora. The highest price was $2.89 per gallon at a station in Ladue, according to MissouriGasPrices.com.