Rockford residents chime in on monthly gas costs

BusinessRockford.com Staff Reports

Your pain at the pump depends on how much you make and how far you drive.

Christina Gulatto of Rockford delivers Avon products, runs errands and drives her kids around. She puts $400 worth of gasoline into her vehicle a month and says she can’t afford to do much else.

For John Gardner of Rockford, it’s less of a pinch. He only spends $100 to $120 a month on gas, less than the national and local average. For him, high prices mean less fun trips out of town.

Winnebago County motorists on average pay a smaller percentage of their income on fuel, because we make more than the national average and drive a little less.

Erin Peterson of Rockford spends about $200 a month on gas, about the national average, but higher than the typical Winnebago County motorist. She’s seen her gas costs go up 40 percent in the past year.

“I guess it would be cheaper here than in Chicago,” she said, “but it’s still really high.”