Yuma drivers face four-year high gas prices before Memorial Day weekend

A routine tank of gas was turning into a budget hit for Yuma families heading into Memorial Day weekend, with some local stations charging about $4.43 a gallon and Arizona’s statewide average running far above the national price.

AAA said Arizona’s average gasoline price stood at $4.786 per gallon on May 25, compared with $4.507 nationally. That left Arizona about 27.9 cents higher than the U.S. average, and about $1.40 above where prices were a year earlier. AAA also said the national Memorial Day weekend average had reached a four-year high of $4.56 on May 21, underscoring how expensive holiday travel had become across the country.

In Yuma, the pain showed up in ordinary errands, not just road trips. Scott Newell said his vehicle gets about 22 miles per gallon and costs about $60 to fill up, a figure that captures how quickly prices add up for drivers who rely on their cars for work, school runs and cross-county errands. For households already watching every dollar, that kind of refill can force a choice between driving less, postponing trips or trimming spending elsewhere.

The pressure lands especially hard in Yuma County, where transportation is not optional for most workers. Census Reporter data show 88.9% of county workers commute by car, truck or van, and the Census Bureau estimates the county population at 224,449. University of Arizona research also identifies agriculture and agribusiness as major economic drivers, which means fuel costs ripple through farm labor, deliveries, service calls and the long drives that connect Yuma, San Luis and Somerton to jobs and shopping.

AAA advised drivers to slow down, remove unnecessary weight and keep tires properly inflated. The organization says correct tire pressure can improve fuel economy by as much as 3.3%, while aggressive driving can cut mileage by 15% to 30% or more, especially in stop-and-go traffic. Those savings matter most when prices are already elevated and every gallon counts.

There was little sign of immediate relief after the holiday spike. Arizona’s average remained above the national figure heading into the weekend, and Yuma drivers faced that difference every time they pulled up to the pump.