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SALT LAKE CITY — The story of Utah's average gasoline prices in 2010 was one of extreme highs and lows.
According to AAA Utah, prices in late spring of last year were among of the highest in the country, but by the end of December Utah boasted the cheapest fuel prices in the nation.
2010 Utah gas prices
| - | Price | Date | Natl. avg. on same day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest price | $3.14 | May 8-9 | $2.91-92 |
| Lowest price | $2.53 | Jan. 1 | $2.66 |
"There were several days in May where we were ... we had the highest price at the pump than any state in the lower 48 states," says Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA of Utah.
To compare, Utah's highest price for regular, self-serve gasoline was $3.14 per gallon on May 8, while the national average was $2.92 on the same day.
The Beehive State's lowest price of 2010 was on Jan. 1, when prices dropped to $2.53 per gallon. The national average on the same day was $2.66.
Motorists we spoke with feel Utah's pump prices are generally fair. Some consider price fluctuations just a fact of life.
For example, Tiffany Johnson says gas prices don't affect her driving habits.
"Regardless, I need gas," she says.
Utah's average gas price versus the national average
| Year | # days above natl. avg. | # days equal to natl. avg. | # days below natl. avg. | % of year equal/above natl. avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 258 | 1 | 107 | 71% |
| 2001 | 190 | 0 | 175 | 52% |
| 2002 | 243 | 4 | 118 | 68% |
| 2003 | 287 | 0 | 78 | 79% |
| 2004 | 248 | 0 | 118 | 68% |
| 2005 | 157 | 13 | 195 | 47% |
| 2006 | 172 | 7 | 186 | 49% |
| 2007 | 211 | 9 | 145 | 60% |
| 2008 | 159 | 14 | 193 | 47% |
| 2009 | 137 | 9 | 219 | 40% |
| 2010 | 284 | 1 | 80 | 78% |
Frayne Sanders drives a lot for his job, and it takes 40 gallons to fill up his truck. Price fluctuations do matter to him.
"Depends on where I'm working," Sanders says. "If I'm working downtown, I just put in as much as I need to get by for the time being."
AAA says it's seeing more motorists like Sanders, as well as those who have cut back on any unnecessary driving -- a trend that took hold during the $4.50-a-gallon summer of 2008.
"I think people are using the skills they learned when prices were so high, and they're being a little bit more careful about driving," Fairclough says.
Utah recorded the highest price at the pump in the lower 48 states for nine consecutive days from May 25 to June 2, a news release stated. However, on Dec. 30 and 31, Utah had the lowest gasoline price in the country. In 2010, Utah's average gas price hovered above the national average on 284 days — the most since 2003 — and below for 80 days.
On Wednesday, the average price at the pump in Utah was $2.81 per gallon, compared to the national average of $3.06 per gallon.
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Story compiled with contributions from Jasen Lee and Keith McCord.
