Gas prices hold steady as July 4 nears

(CNN) -- Despite travelers taking to the road for vacations and the Independence Day weekend coming up, gasoline prices in the United States are unchanged from two weeks ago, according to a survey published Sunday.

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular is $2.66, according to the Lundberg Survey -- the same average price the survey found earlier in June.

By contrast, a year ago the survey found drivers paying $4.10 for regular gas on June 20, 2008 -- $1.44 more than the current average.

Last summer's average prices peaked in July at $4.11 for a gallon of regular gasoline.

The lack of movement in current prices is due to two factors, according to survey publisher Trilby Lundberg.

"Prices are stuck because the weak dollar won't let crude oil prices fall much, and weak oil demand won't let it climb much," she said.

One factor affecting demand is unemployment in the United States, she said.

"With so many unemployed motorists, commuter driving is down considerably, let alone recreational driving," Lundberg said, adding that worldwide crude oil prices are holding in a narrow range of $68-$71 per barrel.

The June 26 survey, which tallied prices at thousands of gas stations nationwide, found the current lowest average in Wichita, Kansas, at $2.40 per gallon. The highest average was in San Francisco, California, at $3.02.

Here are average prices in some other U.S. cities:

-- Houston, Texas - $2.46

-- St. Louis, Missouri - $2.51

-- Atlanta, Georgia - $2.56

-- Boston, Massachusetts - $2.67

-- Boise, Idaho - $2.74

-- Chicago, Illinois - $2.88

-- Baton Rouge, Louisiana - $2.53