Gas prices across the country have continued climbing up in the past few weeks after the cost of crude oil jumped on Tuesday to a 10-month high of $95.96 a barrel.
For American drivers, this means higher prices at the pump for fuel—with some states being worse off than others. On a national level, the average price for regular gas was $3.875 per gallon on Wednesday, up from $3.848 a week ago and from $3.866 a month ago. A year ago to this day, the average cost of gas was $3.674 per gallon.
Across the entire country, California is the state with the highest gas prices—a position they have held for a while. Gas prices are normally higher in the state, where fossil fuels are taxed heavily to slash carbon emissions and the specific type of gas manufactured costs more to be produced.
As of Wednesday, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average price of gas in California was $5.793, up from $5.484 a week ago. AAA is a non-profit federation of motor clubs with millions of members throughout the U.S. and Canada.
In a map put together by AAA, California is among ten states colored red, showing where gas prices are currently the highest in the country.
The other nine states are Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
In Alaska, the average price of gas was $4.615 on Wednesday, up from $4.600 a week ago. In Arizona, gas cost an average of $4.645 per gallon, up from $4.490 a week ago. In Hawaii, the average price of gas was $4.863 on Wednesday, up from $4.792 a week ago.
In Idaho, gas cost an average of $4.146 per gallon on Wednesday, in Montana $4.201, in Nevada $5.057, in Oregon $4.688, in Utah $4.217, and in Washington $5.043. In most of these states, with the exception of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, gas prices jumped up compared to a week before.
While the rise in gas prices was partly due to the heat during the summer, which caused facilities to reduce production, the surge in oil prices caused by cuts from Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members was mainly behind the recent climb in the U.S.
"Oil costs are putting upward pressure on pump prices, but the rise is tempered by much lower demand," said Andrew Gross, an AAA spokesperson, in a press release.
"The slide in people fueling up is typical, with schools back in session, the days getting shorter, and the weather less pleasant. But the usual decline in pump prices is being stymied for now by these high oil costs."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
