Gas prices: Slight increase at the pumps to end the week
Gas prices rose again this week, with the national average for regular gasoline at $4.091 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA. It was the fifth consecutive day of increases and marked a new high for the presidency, with Friday’s price up one cent from Thursday, about three cents above Wednesday, and more than seven cents higher than Tuesday. over the last week, the national average climbed from $3.978 to $4.091 per gallon, pushing prices above $4 for the first time since 2022 and more than a dollar higher than prices earlier in the year.
The report notes that fuel costs have fluctuated since a January low of $2.79 per gallon, rising after winter storms and a late february surge. While current prices are still short of the record highs seen in june 2022 (over $5 per gallon), a continued rise-especially near Memorial Day weekend-could push new highs. Geographically, West Coast states remain the most expensive, while Midwest states are the cheapest. oklahoma has the lowest statewide average at $3.275, with California the highest at about $5.895 per gallon. Washington,D.C., also sits above the national average, while many states previously under $3 have moved higher, though a few remain near or below that level.
Gas prices: Slight increase at the pumps to end the week
Gas prices continue to show no sign of slowing, as the national average for regular gas increased again on Friday to $4.091 per gallon, according to AAA. It was the fifth consecutive day of increases at the pumps, albeit the one with the smallest rise from the prior day.
Friday’s national average was one cent more expensive than Thursday’s pricing. It is almost three cents more expensive than on Wednesday, when gas was at $4.064 per gallon and more than seven cents per gallon higher than Tuesday’s price of $4.018. In the last week, the national average price for gas increased from $3.978 to $4.091 per gallon. Gas prices are over the $4-per-gallon threshold for the first time since 2022. Over the last month, the price of gas has increased by more than $1 per gallon.
Friday’s price of $4.091 per gallon is a record high for Trump’s presidency. Affordable gas prices and fuel costs had typically been a staple of Trump’s terms, up to and including January 2026. That includes this year when, on Jan. 12, gas prices hit a five-year low of $2.79 per gallon. Since then, unfortunately, fuel costs have steadily increased, first gradually and then quite quickly. Winter storms drove prices higher in late January and early February. Then, when Operation Epic Fury commenced on Feb. 28, gas prices started to soar.
Today’s fuel costs don’t resemble the cost-efficient, affordable prices of the Trump administration but more closely resemble those reached under former President Joe Biden. Prices are currently still quite far from matching the highest price ever recorded in June 2022, when Biden was in office, and the national average was over $5 per gallon. Nevertheless, if gas prices continue to rise at a rate of one dollar a month, a new record high could be set soon. This is especially true given the traditional hike in gas prices that occurs through Memorial Day Weekend, which is only 53 days away.
Earlier this year, gas prices had dropped so much that most of the country had states with average prices under $3 per gallon. Many states even had fuel costs under $2.50 per gallon. A particularly noteworthy achievement occurred several weeks ago, when 43 states had average gas prices below $3 per gallon. Today, the lowest statewide average gas price is at $3.275 per gallon.
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As such, gas costs do fluctuate depending on the area of the country. The West Coast has the most expensive gas prices in the U.S., a trend that has persisted for years. Midwestern states have the distinction of being the region with the cheapest gas prices in the nation. In our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., the average price of regular gas is higher than the national average, at $4.236 per gallon, an increase of over 3 cents since yesterday.
Oklahoma has the nation’s lowest gas prices, at $3.275 per gallon. Kansas is next at $3.341 per gallon. This is followed by Nebraska at $3.435, North Dakota at $3.458, and Iowa, with a statewide average of $3.50 per gallon.
Conversely, California remains the state with the highest statewide average gas price in the country at $5.895 per gallon. Hawaii is next at $5.546 per gallon. This is followed by Washington state at $5.37. Oregon is next at $4.971, followed by Nevada at $4.96.
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