Wyoming Gas Prices Surge Sharply, Albany County Drivers Feel the Pinch

Pulling off Interstate 80 into Laramie, drivers are paying more than $3.80 a gallon for regular unleaded, more than a dollar above where Wyoming's statewide average stood six weeks ago and the highest the state has seen since 2022. For an Albany County household filling a 14-gallon tank every week, the shift costs roughly $65 more per month at the pump.

The climb has been relentless. Wyoming's statewide average jumped 40.9 cents in a single week in mid-March, then added another 27 cents the following week and 10 more cents the week after, according to GasBuddy data tracking nearly 500 stations statewide. AAA's daily fuel gauge placed Wyoming's average at $3.85 as of April 4, up from approximately $2.65 in mid-February, a gain of more than $1.20 per gallon in about six weeks. Within the state, the spread between the cheapest and most expensive stations exceeded a dollar on any given day.

Two forces arrived simultaneously to produce the spike. The Iran conflict, which erupted March 2 and effectively halted ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, cut off roughly 20% of the world's daily crude supply. At the same time, refineries began their annual switch to costlier summer gasoline blends, a seasonal shift that temporarily reduces available production capacity. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, called it a "double headwind." "Gasoline and diesel prices continue to climb to multi-year highs as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz curtails the flow of millions of barrels of crude oil each day," De Haan said.

Diesel is moving harder than gasoline. The national average for diesel reached $5.37 per gallon in late March, its highest point since July 2022. Albany County agricultural operators and the delivery businesses supplying Laramie's retail sector absorb diesel as a direct operating cost, and those increases typically flow quickly into surcharges and service rates.

Spring recreational travel takes a hit as well. A round trip from Laramie to the Snowy Range via WY-230, roughly 70 miles, now runs about $10.80 in fuel at current prices, up more than $3 from the same drive a month ago. A weekend run to Cheyenne for a youth sports tournament and back, about 100 miles of I-80 round trip, adds roughly $4.60 to the gas bill compared to early March.

De Haan warned that no near-term reversal is assured. "Until we see a meaningful resumption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, upward pressure on fuel prices is likely to persist," he said. Both AAA and GasBuddy update station-level pricing daily, giving Albany County drivers a practical way to find the lowest price before pulling up to a pump.