HOULTON — Gasoline prices in Aroostook County on Wednesday were lower than both the New England and national averages.

At $1.29 a gallon at most major dealer stations, prices in The County were up 1 cent since Monday after falling to $1.28 the week before.

The per-gallon price for regular unleaded gasoline had topped out at $1.52 on Dec. 8 before dropping 24 cents in just over a week.

The American Automobile Association reported Wednesday that the average price for regular unleaded gasoline in New England was about $1.35 a gallon, 30 cents more than a year ago.

The AAA also reported that the national average price was $1.31, the highest since December 1990.

The only regions of the country with prices lower than Aroostook County were the Midwest and Southwest.

Officials with major fuel distributors in Maine have so far been unable or unwilling to say why gasoline prices fell so dramatically.