Gas prices up in Colorado, though lower than national average

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – This Christmas season, Coloradans will find gas prices  higher than last year. Still, the state comes in at less than the national average.

According to AAA’s Colorado average on Friday, the current average for regular unleaded is $2.96 a gallon.

Mid-grade comes in at $3.37, premium at $3.68, and diesel at $3.27.

Those are all up from last week’s average, while slightly less than what the average was around Thanksgiving travel.

Even though gas prices in Colorado will be higher than last Christmas’ average of $2.84, a record-number of Americans are still expected to be on the roads this Christmas.

AAA projects 119.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1. This is 64,000 higher than the previous record set in 2019, but 3 million more travelers this holiday season compared to last year.

“This year, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, we’re anticipating record-breaking travel numbers the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday,” said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel.

Colorado’s gas average is just slightly lower than the national average of $3.05, though there is a wide range of prices throughout counties in the state.

Pitkin County came in with the highest average at $4.36, while Prowers was the lowest at $2.57 a gallon. That is a spread of $1.79.

Nationally, Hawaii has the most-expensive gas prices at $4.54, while Oklahoma has the cheapest at $2.58.