Baker County Gas Prices Rise, but Slower Than Most of Nation

While gas prices nationwide surged roughly 27% following the U.S. and Israel's attacks on Iran at the end of February, Baker County drivers faced a comparatively modest 14% increase during March, according to the AAA auto club and local price data.

Baker County's average price for regular unleaded reached $3.95 per gallon on March 17, the lowest figure among Oregon's 36 counties and the only county in the state still below $4. Malheur County posted the second-lowest average in Oregon at $4.01.

The gap between Baker County and the rest of Oregon was stark. The state average on March 17 stood at $4.54 per gallon, the fifth-highest in the nation. Only California ($5.54), Washington ($4.99), Hawaii ($4.98), and Nevada ($4.60) ranked higher. The national average that day was $3.79.

The price jump traces to the ongoing conflict following the U.S. and Israel's attacks on Iran on the final day of February, which pushed crude oil prices higher. Gas prices climbed about 27% nationally and about 16% in Oregon in the weeks that followed, according to the AAA auto club.

Baker County actually narrowed the gap with the national average during that stretch. On Feb. 25, the county's average of $3.46 sat 49 cents above the national average. By March 17, that gap had shrunk to 16 cents.

The county's relative cushion against the broader price spike offers a rare silver lining for Baker City motorists, even as the $3.95 figure represents a sharp climb from where prices stood less than a month ago.