The average American likely thinks the highest gas prices are on the coastal regions of the country, specifically California and New York. After all, multiple television interviews have posted news correspondents out in West Coast towns where gas has already hit $4 per gallon or more.
American consumers are correct to assume that California has the highest gas prices. Cities in California are seeing fuel prices that are, on average, at least one dollar more than the national average, according to a report by AAA.
The West Coast states have the highest gas prices up and down its shores. Washington state and Oregon are experiencing higher gas prices than other states across the country, and Hawaii is also ranking near the top where high fuel prices are concerned. These numbers are all courtesy of AAA data. A gallon of gas in Hawaii is $4.32 per gallon. In Washington state, gas is $3.95 per gallon and Oregon’s average price of a gallon of gas is $3.91.
In California, the average price for a gallon of fuel is $4.65. The national average price for a gallon of gas is $3.31, AAA data states. This is the third week of consecutive gains in oil prices during 2022, and the AAA says that the increase in prices is due to “(primarily) the cost of crude oil.”
On Wednesday, one barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded at $87.12.
Two major factors are cited as the reason for the rise in the price of one barrel of oil: first, demand is increasing due to a “perception that the COVID-19 omicron variant may ebb” as well as lagging production of crude oil. The AAA reminds consumers that the price of a barrel of crude oil affects at least half of the price of a gallon of gas; as crude oil becomes more expensive, the price of gas is likely to rise even further.
Other states and localities where the average price of fuel is higher than the national average include Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Idaho, Arizona, and Alaska. Each of these states surpass the national average of a gallon of gas by at least twenty cents.
Those states that have seen the greatest increases in the price of a gallon of gas include Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, North Carolina and North Dakota.
In Nevada, the average price of a gallon of gas is $3.81; Alaska trails just a few cents behind at $3.76. Arizona and Idaho are seeing their average price of a gallon of gas at $3.58 and $3.54, respectively. In Washington, D.C, the average price of one gallon of fuel is $3.51; the price is the same across the state of Pennsylvania.
AAA warns that the price of a gallon of gas is not likely to drop any time soon.
