Mo. averages lowest gas price in U.S.

After a week of decreases on both the state and national levels, Missouri ranked this morning as the least expensive state in the U.S. for buying gas.

According to GasBuddy.com's list of the lowest gas prices in the nation, Missouri had an average of $2.88 per gallon today, trumping Oklahoma and South Carolina, which both held averages of $2.95 per gallon. Rounding out the top five were Mississippi, at $2.97 per gallon, and Minnesota, $2.98 per gallon. Hawaii bottomed out the list with its average of $4.13 per gallon.

After falling 7.1 cents during the week prior, Missouri's average moved down to $2.92 per gallon on Sunday, a decrease of 23.3 cents from a month ago and drop of 12.2 cents from a year ago. The national average, which fell 6 cents to $3.21 per gallon, has decreased 18 cents in the last month and 12.8 cents in the last year, according to a GasBuddy news release.

GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan said every state experienced a gas price decline last week.

 "I don't think I've seen such big drops in retail prices collectively since the recession of 2009," he said in the release. "Perhaps most incredibly, the number of stations in the U.S. selling under $3 (per gallon) amounted to almost 25 percent of all stations. Last Monday, that number was just 6.6 percent."

In Missouri this morning, the lowest price for gas was $2.59 per gallon, available at filling stations in Villa Ridge and St. Louis. Carthage held the highest price at $3.49 per gallon, according to MissouriGasPrices.com.

Springfieldians could buy gas for $2.74 per gallon at Conoco, 1402 E. Republic Road, as well as $2.75 per gallon at Hy-Vee, 1720 W. Battlefield Road, and $2.77 per gallon at both Sam's Club stores. Prices elsewhere in the Queen City ranged up to $2.79 per gallon.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was trading at $85.74 per barrel as of 9:07 a.m. Light sweet crude oil futures for November were trading at $84.63 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.[[In-content Ad]]