Rural residents hit harder by gas prices

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 2 (UPI) -- U.S. residents in remote, rural areas are finding the price of gas more of a burden than some city dwellers, a recent survey indicated.

An Oil Price Information Services and Wright Express survey found that rural residents spend as much as 16 percent of their income on gasoline, while urban residents in areas of New York spend about 2 percent, USA Today reported.

"The people who can least afford this are getting hit the worst," Glen Falk, a retail pricing manager at OPIS, told the newspaper.

Various circumstances work against rural residents, the newspaper reported.

Rural residents are apt to drive pickup trucks, have longer commutes and pay more for gas due to the distances it takes to supply them.

Their salaries are often lower and their vehicles are often older, the newspaper said.

The Federal Highway Administration reports the average age of vehicles in the country is 8.7 years, compared with 7.9 years for city vehicles, USA Today said.