Gas prices rise as summer winds down

Milford (WTNH) - Even though gasoline prices have jumped ten cents since last month, a study out this morning says that increase may not hurt drivers in Connecticut as badly as it affects others.

On average, a gallon of regular gas in Connecticut is up 8 cents in the last week. Let's take a look at the numbers?

According to the AAA, the average price for regular in Connecticut is $2.80 a gallon, well above the national average of $2.64. But it is more than a dollar lower than it was a year ago. Last August it was $4.00.

Gas is so much lower this August because we had that little collapse of the world's financial system last September, and that sent oil prices down drastically. Why are gas prices back up? The main reasons is economists have just started saying the recession is over, so the markets think people can now afford to drive more.

Meanwhile, there's a study from the Natural Resources Defense Council ranking how vulnerable states are to gas price fluctuations. Basically, it looks at how much of people's paychecks is spent on gasoline. Mississippi residents are the most vulnerable. They spend 9% of their income on fuel.

Connecticut is dead last on the list. We only spend 3.25% of our pay on gas.