AUGUSTA (AP) — The average retail cost of a gallon of gas in Maine soared almost eight cents in the past week, but still didn’t rise as fast as the national average.

Price-monitoring website MaineGasPrices.com reported Monday that the average cost in Maine jumped to $3.69 per gallon.

Even though the national average jumped more than nine cents, gas in Maine remains well above the national average of $3.60 per gallon.

Prices in Maine are a quarter per gallon higher than a month ago, but a dime lower than at the same time last year.

A company analyst says the end of the summer driving season could drive down prices.