According to The Hill, Maine’s average price of gas per gallon was 10th highest in the nation on Memorial Day.
The average price of gas in Maine was $4.77 per gallon, 15 cents higher than the national average of $4.62. According to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) and compiled by The Hill, Aroostook County had Maine’s most expensive gas at $4.83 per gallon. Cumberland and Somerset Counties also had prices among the highest in the state, at $4.81 per gallon.
California had the highest gas prices in the nation on Memorial Day, averaging $6.15 per gallon across the state. Hawaii, Nevada, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Illinois, Arizona, and New York also had average gas prices that put them in the top 10 most expensive in the nation.
Since the beginning of the year, the average price of gas in Maine has remained around or above the national average. According to Gas Buddy, prices have been climbing throughout May and reached a high for the year so far over the holiday weekend.
The average price of a gallon of gas in Maine has not been below $4 per gallon since March. While prices declined after peaking around $4.30 in March, they began to climb again in late April and early May.
The spike in prices comes as Maine’s tourism season, when two-thirds of visitors to the state typically come, unofficially begins. The Maine Office of Tourism issued a press release on May 27 announcing it anticipates an increase in visitors to the state this summer.
Visitors to the state increased 2.4 percent last year over the summer of 2019. Maine’s tourism office is expecting an increase in tourists this summer. A recent poll released by AAA found 6 in 10 Americans are planning at least one summer trip, with 35% more people expected to travel this summer than last summer.
