US gasoline tops $4 in all 50 states as Iran war nears three-month mark
AAA reported on May 20 that average regular-gasoline prices crossed $4 a gallon in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with seven states above $5 and California at $6.15. The national average of $4.56 is up 53% since the U.S.-Iran war began on Feb 28, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed throughout the conflict. GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan warned the average could break the all-time $5.03 record if the strait remains shut through mid-summer.
Every U.S. state and the District of Columbia is now paying an average of more than $4 a gallon for regular gasoline, AAA said on Wednesday, with seven states above $5 as the U.S. war against Iran nears its three-month mark. The national average stands at $4.56 a gallon, up 53% since the war began on Feb. 28; an indefinite ceasefire is in place but the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil-shipping waterway, has been effectively closed throughout the conflict.
California posted the highest price, at $6.15 a gallon, while Georgia at $4.01 was the cheapest. Western states bore the heaviest impact: California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska all sat above $5 by Wednesday afternoon. Lower prices clustered in the Southeast, where several states had been holding the line at $3.98 or $3.99 a gallon in recent days before tipping over.
President Trump has proposed pausing the federal gas tax to ease pump-price strain, but the idea faces resistance from senior Republicans in Congress. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reiterated his concern over fuel prices in a Sunday interview, telling viewers the 'economic trouble' Americans are seeing is 'related directly to the Strait of Hormuz.' "Really, all points lead back to that," Johnson said. "Gas prices are too high because of that, and then that has an effect on how goods are transported to the grocery store and all the rest."
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said on Wednesday morning the national average could break the all-time record of $5.03 a gallon if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed through mid-summer. Sustained pump prices at current levels are costing Americans millions of dollars a day, squeezing small-business margins and feeding through into broader inflation.