Gas prices in Kansas continue to rise.

“This week, we actually are up six cents from last week,” said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. “That is the fifth largest weekly price increase in the country. It’s probably not a trend that people enjoy seeing, but we’ve been pretty low over the past six months, really. Now, we’re starting to see some seasonal increases at the pumps.”

There are a lot of factors that go into gas prices.

“We have been seeing some increase in crude oil prices,” said Steward. “We’re approaching a busier travel season, so demand is starting to tick upward and will continue to do so as spring and summer travel plans increase for people. The expectation is that we’ll probably see a continued increase in those gas prices.”

Even though Kansas is down to 13th least expensive gas price in the country while neighboring Missouri is still the cheapest, it’s not all bad news.

“We’re about 18 cents less than the national average,” said Steward. “Not too much to complain about, still.”

The statewide average was $2.25 a gallon as of Monday.