Gasoline Prices in Minnesota Up 49 Percent from One Year Ago

However, Gopher State has seen the 6th lowest increase in the nation in average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline over the past year; Wisconsin 3rd lowest and Iowa 5th lowest

With the holidays upon us, many Minnesotans will, weather permitting, be traveling across the state and country to meet up with family once again.

For those traveling long distances by automobile, the price at the pump will be quite a bit steeper compared to one year ago.

However, a Smart Politics analysis of data provided by AAA finds that the average price of a gallon of gas in the State of Minnesota is cheaper than many states across the nation, and the rate of increase from a year ago has been one of the lowest in the country.

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $2.50 in Minnesota on Monday, which was the 16th lowest in the country and the lowest in the Upper Midwest region.

Iowa currently has the 17th lowest price ($2.52), followed by Wisconsin at #24 ($2.56), South Dakota at #31 ($2.59), and North Dakota at #36 ($2.63).

Missouri has the lowest price in the nation at $2.37 per gallon, with Alaska the highest at $3.37.

Gas prices have soared across the country from a year ago, although Minnesotans are enduring one of the smallest rates of increase nationwide. The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the Gopher State was $1.67 one year ago. The 49.4 percent increase to today’s price of $2.50 is the sixth lowest in the USA.

Neighboring states of Wisconsin (#3) and Iowa (#5) are also enjoying some of the lowest rates of increase in a gallon of gas over the past year. Gas prices have risen only 45.4 percent in Wisconsin (from $1.76 to $2.56) and 47.8 percent in Iowa (from $1.70 to $2.52) over the past 365 days.

Alaska and Hawaii, which have the highest prices of gasoline in the country, had the lowest rates of increase over the past year, at 28.7 percent and 38.7 percent respectively. Utah has had the highest rate of increase at 74.4 percent.

And for those Minnesotans giving their vehicles the “good stuff,” the cost of gasoline is even a better deal than what most of the country is paying at the pump.

· The average cost statewide of a gallon of premium gasoline is just $2.66 in Minnesota – tied for the fourth lowest in the nation with Texas, behind Missouri ($2.61), Oklahoma ($2.63), and Kansas ($2.65).
· The $0.16 price differential in Minnesota between a gallon of regular and premium gas in the Gopher State is tied with Kansas for the second lowest in the nation – behind only Nebraska ($0.13).
· The average cost of mid-grade gasoline in Minnesota is $2.59 per gallon – the 10th lowest in the nation.

Lowest Rate of Increase in the Average Price of a Gallon of Regular Unleaded Gasoline by State

Rank	State	12/21/08	12/21/09	% Change
1	Alaska	$2.622	$3.374	28.68
2	Hawaii	$2.391	$3.317	38.73
3	Wisconsin	$1.759	$2.558	45.42
4	New York	$1.916	$2.831	47.76
5	Iowa	$1.704	$2.518	47.77
6	Minnesota	$1.670	$2.495	49.40
7	West Virginia	$1.782	$2.670	49.83
8	Maine	$1.780	$2.671	50.06
9	Nebraska	$1.719	$2.600	51.25
10	Pennsylvania	$1.742	$2.635	51.26
11	Illinois	$1.741	$2.634	51.29
12	Oklahoma	$1.585	$2.411	52.11
13	Georgia	$1.599	$2.437	52.41
14	North Dakota	$1.723	$2.633	52.81
15	Michigan	$1.663	$2.550	53.34
16	Connecticut	$1.806	$2.770	53.38
17	Kentucky	$1.647	$2.528	53.49
18	Vermont	$1.744	$2.681	53.73
19	South Dakota	$1.685	$2.593	53.89
20	Colorado	$1.598	$2.461	54.01
21	Louisiana	$1.594	$2.459	54.27
22	Nevada	$1.777	$2.743	54.36
23	Florida	$1.703	$2.632	54.55
24	New Hampshire	$1.661	$2.573	54.91
25	Alabama	$1.586	$2.462	55.23
26	Massachusetts	$1.682	$2.613	55.35
27	Rhode Island	$1.718	$2.670	55.41
28	Arkansas	$1.567	$2.437	55.52
29	Maryland	$1.649	$2.565	55.55
30	Kansas	$1.595	$2.482	55.61
31	D.C.	$1.771	$2.756	55.62
32	Oregon	$1.733	$2.702	55.91
33	North Carolina	$1.638	$2.554	55.92
34	Indiana	$1.628	$2.540	56.02
35	Delaware	$1.619	$2.527	56.08
36	New Mexico	$1.660	$2.594	56.27
37	Ohio	$1.643	$2.568	56.30
38	Mississippi	$1.559	$2.442	56.64
39	Texas	$1.550	$2.429	56.71
40	Washington	$1.777	$2.789	56.95
41	Virginia	$1.584	$2.491	57.26
42	South Carolina	$1.544	$2.430	57.38
43	Tennessee	$1.552	$2.447	57.67
44	Missouri	$1.499	$2.372	58.24
45	Arizona	$1.619	$2.590	59.98
46	New Jersey	$1.555	$2.489	60.06
47	California	$1.796	$2.913	62.19
48	Wyoming	$1.465	$2.421	65.26
49	Montana	$1.531	$2.543	66.10
50	Idaho	$1.532	$2.584	68.67
51	Utah	$1.467	$2.559	74.44

Source: Data compiled from AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

Follow Smart Politics on Twitter.