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With gas hovering above $3 a gallon, Arizona drivers appear to be using a lot less of it … except those of us in Pima County.

According to monthly "gallonage" figures submitted by fuel suppliers to the state Motor Vehicle Division, Pima County gas consumption was higher than the previous year every month from June through January, before beginning a gradual decrease in Febuary.

During the June-January period, monthly statewide consumption was higher than for the previous year until November, when usage began a steep decline.

Between October and November, the statewide average price for regular gasoline went from $2.722 to $2.968, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Analysts and industry insiders have a hard time agreeing on why Pima County residents' habits differ dramatically from the rest of the state.

"It's kind of difficult to speculate beyond the fact that Tucson and Pima County are paying the lowest fuel prices in the state," said Michelle Donati, a spokeswoman for AAA Arizona.

Though prices remain above $3 a gallon here, it is still roughly 10 cents lower than the state average, Donati said. And it's been that way, with little variation, for a while.

Mark Stegeman, a microeconomist at the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management, said lower gas prices could explain why Pima County's consumption hasn't declined.

It's also possible that most of the driving in Pima County and the state's more urban areas is not "discretionary," meaning most of the driving is for necessity and not pleasure, he said.

Cutting out leisure driving, such as visiting the Grand Canyon, driving to Mexico or driving from one metropolitan area to another would likely cause the statewide decline, he said.

In an unscientific online poll, AAA Arizona asked Web site users what price breaking point would cause them to change their driving habits. So far, 54 percent of the poll's 530 respondents said they already have changed their habits, and another 7 percent said they would change if prices reach $3.25 a gallon, which has already happened in some parts of the state.

Some local motorists are cutting back on discretionary trips..

As she put gas in her tank Friday at the Arco AM/PM at South Campbell Avenue and East Irvington Road, Roxana Navarro, 20, said she has to drive to work all week and has scaled back on recreation to make up for it.

"We don't go out to the parks. We don't go out to eat. We don't go to places for the family to have fun," she said.

Marisa Norzagaray, 23, said she only puts $20 worth of gas in her car at a time in order to resist the temptation to drive unnecessarily.

And when she goes out, she has a plan to avoid driving around in circles, she said.

"I make a list of what I have to do, and then I go out and get it all done."