State gas average falls 8 cents

The average retail gasoline price in Missouri fell by 8.3 cents during the past week to $3.42 per gallon yesterday, according to GasBuddy.com, which surveyed 3,940 filling stations in the state.

Comparatively, the national average dropped 4 cents during the week to $3.58 per gallon, according to a news release.

With the past week's changes, the Missouri average was 11.9 cents lower than a month ago and 31.8 cents lower than the same day a year ago. The national average dropped 9.3 cents month-to-month and 32.8 cents year-to-year.

"Prices in nearly all metropolitan statistical areas are lower ... than a year ago," said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst, in the release. "Americans are spending $108 million less on gasoline every day than they were a year ago."

During the first quarter, the U.S. average was $3.55 per gallon, down from $3.58 per gallon in the same quarter of 2012, according to a separate release.

Missouri's gas average rose to $3.44 per gallon this morning, ranking it No. 11 on GasBuddy's list of the lowest gas averages in the nation. At $3.29 per gallon, Montana had the lowest average in the U.S., while Hawaii had the highest, at $4.36 per gallon.

The lowest price in Missouri was recorded at $3.19 per gallon this morning, available at a station in St. Joseph. The highest price, $3.72 per gallon, registered at a station in Festus, according to MissouriGasPrices.com.

In Springfield, a low price of $3.28 per gallon at Sam's Club, 745 W. El Camino Alto Drive, was followed by several stations selling gas for $3.38 to $3.39 per gallon.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was trading at $93.05 per barrel as of 9:37 a.m., compared to $91.02 a week ago. Light sweet crude oil futures for May were trading at $93.03 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.