State gas average jumps 9 cents

Missouri's gasoline average jumped 8.8 cents last week to $3.14 per gallon yesterday.

The state's average increased 8.3 cents during the past month but decreased 9.8 cents during the past year. The national average, which increased 4.5 cents during the past week to $3.31 per gallon, was 4.5 cents higher than a month ago but 6.7 cents lower than the same day in 2012, according to a GasBuddy.com news release.

Missouri's average held steady this morning, ranking the state No. 8 on GasBuddy.com's list of the lowest gas averages by state. Wyoming held the No. 1 spot, with an average of $2.77 per gallon, while Hawaii was at the bottom of the list, averaging $4.07 per gallon.

In Missouri, the lowest gas price of $2.85 per gallon was available at two filling stations in Lexington, near Kansas City. The highest price of $3.39 per gallon was at a station in Tipton, about 36 miles west of Jefferson City.

In Springfield, the least expensive gas price was $2.96 per gallon, available at Sam's Club, 3660 E. Sunshine St., according to MissouriGasPrices.com.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was trading at $96.09 per barrel as of 10:39 a.m., compared to $91.65 a week ago. Light sweet crude oil futures for March were trading at $96.03 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.[[In-content Ad]]