Gas Prices Hit Rural Northern Rockies, New Mexico

By Courtney Lowery, 6-09-08

Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Idaho are the hardest hit in the West by $4.00 gasoline, according to a study in today’s New York Times.

The study looks at percentage of income spent on gas, so rural areas in the Northern Rockies, Great Plains and southeast look the worst because of low median incomes and high use of vehicle travel.

Most of Montanans spend 7-10 percent of their income on gas with one pocket in eastern Montana between 10-16 percent. In Wyoming, most counties are in the 8-16 percent range. Most of Idaho is in the 5-8 percent range.

In New Mexico, most are paying 8-16 percent of their income on gas, with big chunks of the state in the 10-16 percent range.

Click on the map at right for an interactive map from the Times.