Retail prices for gasoline relented a bit last week for Memorial Day drivers, the government reported Tuesday, but on average they remained 34 cents higher than a year ago.
The average retail price for gasoline was $3.209 a gallon last week, down from $3.218 a gallon the previous week, the Energy Information Administration said.
The Gulf Coast and the West Coast saw the largest drops. Prices in the Gulf Coast dipped 2.5 cents to $3.067 a gallon, while gas on the West Coast slipped 2.3 cents to $3.349 a gallon.
Gas costs the most on the West Coast, but drivers there can take solace that their increase since last year is the lowest anywhere — 14.4 cents.
The Midwest, which has the second-highest gas prices in the country at $3.320, suffered the largest price gain from the prior year: 56 cents.