Gas price decline: Day 27
Gasoline prices continue to slide, remaining above $4 in only 8 states, AAA finds.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Gas prices continued to slide for the 27th straight day, a daily survey of gas station credit card swipes showed Wednesday.
The Daily Fuel Gauge Report from motorist advocacy group AAA and the Oil Price Information Service showed that gas prices fell to a nationwide average of $3.787 a gallon, down from $3.799 a day earlier.
Gas prices have fallen more than 8% since hitting a record high of $4.114 on July 16. However, prices remain more than a dollar higher than where they were a year ago.
The recent slide in gas prices follows a decline in crude futures, which have fallen about 23% since hitting a record high of $147.27 on July 11.
Ethanol: The price of E85, an 85% ethanol blend, fell one-tenth of a cent to $3.069 a gallon on average, AAA reported.
Faced with high gas prices, many Americans have turned to ethanol as their fuel of choice.
Ethanol is made primarily from corn and is most commonly available in the Midwest, where much of the nation's corn is grown.
Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline but has a lower energy content and burns less efficiently in flex fuel vehicles than gas. According to AAA's estimates, a vehicle that burns E85 would pay about $4.039 a gallon to get the same mileage as gas.
Diesel: The average price for diesel fuel, which is used in most trucks and commercial vehicles, fell to $4.498 a gallon from $4.517 the day before, according to AAA.
Because of its use in transporting goods, the price of diesel, which has risen nearly 54% in the last year, has helped drive up the prices of products and services.
State prices: AAA, which bases its survey on credit card swipes at up to 100,000 fuel stations around the country, found that gas remains above $4 a gallon in eight states.
Drivers in Alaska, the state with the highest prices, saw gas prices rise to $4.642 a gallon from $4.622 a day earlier. Drivers in Hawaii, the state with the second-highest prices, saw average prices fall slightly to $4.453 from $4.455, and drivers in Utah saw gas selling at a state average of $4.10 a gallon.
Missouri had the cheapest gas, with prices falling to $3.542 a gallon from $3.553. Oklahoma prices were second-lowest at $3.563 on average, AAA found.
Drivers in Hawaii, the state with the most expensive diesel, paid an average of $5.369 a gallon for diesel. Diesel was cheapest in Missouri at an average of $4.241, according to the AAA survey. 
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