Average Price for Gas Inches Up to $1.38

The nationwide average price of self-service gasoline inched up to $1.38 a gallon in the past week, while prices for other grades decreased slightly, the American Automobile Assn. said today.

The average price for a gallon of self-service regular gas rose 0.1 cents, to $1.38. Mid-grade self-service unleaded declined 0.5 cents, to $1.464, and premium unleaded dropped 0.3 cents, to $1.548, the AAA said.

The average price of gasoline has risen 30.5 cents a gallon since Aug. 1, the day before Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the AAA said. The highest price ever recorded by the AAA for self-service regular was $1.388 a gallon, just before the 1981 Easter weekend.

The “fuel gauge survey,” which is based on a nationwide spot check of stations for AAA by Computer Petroleum Inc., found the largest price increase in New England.