The national average price for regular gas increased again on Tuesday to $4.483 per gallon. This is a 30-cent-per-gallon increase from a week ago, according to AAA. A gallon of regular gas in the United States last week averaged $4.176.
Tuesday’s new average pricing was the thirteenth consecutive day in which gas prices increased, reaching the most expensive costs for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. since 2022. The recent string of increases is the latest fluctuation over the last month, during which gas prices varied between less than $4 per gallon and as high as Tuesday’s national average fuel price.
Fuel costs have also varied significantly in 2026. Since gas prices fell to $2.79 per gallon on Jan. 12, a five-year low, fuel costs in the country have steadily increased. Initially, winter weather nationwide was blamed for rising fuel costs, as snowstorms in January and February disrupted oil refinery operations and production. However, fuel prices began to soar after the Iran war began.
During the first week of March, a gallon of regular gas increased to $2.98. By March 31, the national average price of regular gas had risen to $4.02 per gallon. Gas prices had previously reached a 2026 high of $4.16 per gallon on April 9. As a result, soaring fuel costs have been a frequent topic of discussion, with Democrats blaming President Donald Trump’s choice to go to war with Iran as the primary reason gas prices are high.
Moreover, inconsistent communication from the Trump administration about gas price increases has drawn the ire of many voters across the country. For example, in April, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview on CNN that he believed gas prices had “likely peaked” for the year.
“I don’t know,” Wright said at the time. “That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year. But prices have likely peaked.”
Since then, gas prices have drastically increased, setting a record high for 2026, soaring to the most expensive national average for fuel prices since 2022. These increases have stirred debate over affordability concerns in the U.S.
Despite weeks of rising pump prices, the establishment of a new yearly high, likely to keep increasing in the coming days, and overall fluctuations, costs vary by region. The most affordable fuel prices are found in the South. The most expensive gas prices in the nation are in the western U.S.
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Oklahoma has the lowest gas prices in the country at $3.897 per gallon. Georgia is next, after briefly holding the distinction of the nation’s cheapest gas prices on Monday at $3.91 per gallon. Mississippi is next at $3.92, followed by Louisiana with a statewide average of $3.923 per gallon. Arkansas is next at $3.955 per gallon.
California remains the state with the highest average gas price in the country at $6.131 per gallon. For the first time in over two years, Washington state now has the second-highest gas prices in the nation at $5.705 per gallon. Next is Hawaii at $5.656 per gallon, and then Oregon at $5.295. Nevada is next, with a statewide average of $5.197 per gallon for regular gas.