South Whidbey Gas Prices Surge Past $5.57, Some Stations Hitting $6 Per Gallon

Gas prices on South Whidbey are among the highest in the nation this week. The average price for gas at stations on South Whidbey hovered around $5.57 a gallon of regular unleaded Monday, according to GasBuddy, a national technology company that helps consumers find the best prices. A gallon of regular, no-ethanol gas was $6.12 a gallon at the Clinton Mobil station while diesel was $6.68 a gallon.

Gas prices in the nation and across the world spiked dramatically after President Donald Trump started bombing Iran. The average price in the U.S. increased by nearly $1 a gallon, or 30%, since the start of the war. "This is a global jump in the price of gasoline and even more so diesel, which has jumped beyond the $6 a gallon mark in Washington state," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "It's certainly very rare to see these types of impacts, but obviously just a function of the U.S. attacking Iran."

Gas prices in Washington are the second highest in the nation, just below the cost in Hawaii. The state's fuel prices are normally in the top five in the nation because of the state gas tax, the impact of the Climate Commitment Act and state surcharges. South Whidbey's prices run even higher than the statewide average, and the gap between the island and mainland communities like Oak Harbor comes down to one factor: fewer stations competing for customers. De Haan said he didn't know if there were any unique factors that would result in gas prices on South Whidbey being so much higher than Oak Harbor's, but he guessed it was likely just competition. Gas station owners all have the same underlying costs, but they are free to set their own prices without regulation. GasBuddy lists nine gas stations in Oak Harbor and six in all of South Whidbey.

State Sen. Ron Muzzall said the price increases come at the worst possible time for farmers since planting season is on the horizon, which is the most fuel-intensive time of year. In addition, he said he's most concerned about people whose wages put them in the bottom third of income. "They have no discretionary spending," he said. "When you increase these costs for them, they have to cut things, important things."

While some have pointed out that a price hike may decrease consumption, Whidbey Environmental Action Network sees no silver lining. "When gas prices spike because of armed conflict — particularly a war of aggression, prosecuted at tremendous cost to people and ecosystems, by the world's single largest institutional greenhouse gas emitter (the U.S. Department of Defense) — that's not an environmental win," Executive Director Marnie Jackson said in an email.

The highest statewide average cost per gallon of gas in Washington history was $5.56 on June 16, 2022, according to AAA. As of March 23, Washington is roughly 30 cents away from an all-time high. On South Whidbey, that record is already a rearview mirror number.