WASHINGTON, July 29 (UPI) -- The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States is 3.7 percent higher than a month ago, AAA reported.
The travel service organization reported a national average price of $3.63 for Monday, a 4 cent decline from the previous week but 13 cents higher than the same time last month.
Chicago had the highest price per gallon for the Lower 48 states with an average of $4.10. The area has experienced higher-than-average gasoline prices because of refinery issues in the Midwest.
The Lundberg Survey of retail gasoline prices, released Sunday, said the national average was $3.67, the Chicago-Sun Times reported. The survey is based on information from nearly 2,500 retail fueling centers and is different from the information obtained by AAA.
The U.S. Energy Department said it expects gasoline prices to average approximately $3.50 per gallon for the season.
Consumers are seeing higher prices at the pump because of increases in oil prices caused mainly by unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, analysts say.
