This story is part of The Salt Lake Tribune’s ongoing commitment to identify solutions to Utah’s biggest challenges through the work of the Innovation Lab.
Gas in Utah is among the most expensive in the nation even as prices drop.
According to AAA, the average price per gallon was $3.859 as of Monday, 8.9% more than the national average of $3.543.
Costs behind transporting the gas are a large part of why Utah is among the 10 most expensive states to buy gas, said Julian Paredes, a spokesperson for AAA’s Mountain West Group.
Most gas in Utah and other western states gets transported across the Rocky Mountains, he said. Utah also gets a lot of its gas from Colorado, he said, adding refinery and production taxes that drive up the price tag.
Yet gas prices have dropped “quite a bit” in Utah during the last month, Paredes said.
Monday’s average price of $3.859 was 7.3% lower than a month ago and 25.7% lower than a year ago.
Gas prices were down similarly in the state’s major cities with prices dipping most over the last month in the Provo-Orem area and the least in and around St. George.
Story continues below graph
AAA expects gas prices to fluctuate for a few weeks coming off record travel numbers for the Fourth of July, Paredes said.
Pump prices may go up in the short term, he said, then waffle a bit up and down depending on demand.
As people look to save at the pump, they should make sure to keep up with car maintenance and have their tires properly inflated to improve their fuel economy, Paredes said.
Slowing down also is good for mileage, he said, and for general safety.
Where people fuel up matters, too, Paredes said. Prices can vary from county to county, city to city and station to station, he said.
Story continues below map
Gas generally is cheaper in northern Utah and more expensive in the state’s southern counties, he said.
People can use phone applications to find station-specific prices, and AAA.com has prices by county and city.