Gas prices hit four-year high as national average surges again

A 15-gallon fill-up cost about $4 more than it did a week earlier as the national average for regular gasoline climbed to $4.433 a gallon by May 2, a four-year high that was rippling through commuter budgets, delivery routes and household spending plans. At that price, the same tank cost about $66.50 nationally and more than $91 in California.

AAA said the national average had been $4.300 on April 30, up 27 cents in a week and $1.12 above the same time in 2025, the highest level since late July 2022. The latest surge came as West Texas Intermediate crude settled at $106.88 a barrel on April 29, gasoline demand edged up from 9.05 million barrels per day to 9.10 million, and domestic gasoline supply fell from 228.4 million barrels to 222.3 million. Tight crude markets and leaner fuel inventories left little cushion in place.

The country’s price map remained sharply divided. California led at $6.088 per gallon, followed by Washington at $5.650, Hawaii at $5.642, Oregon at $5.244, Nevada at $5.162, Alaska at $5.017 and Illinois at $4.924. On the low end, Georgia sat at $3.838, with Mississippi at $3.866, Louisiana at $3.883, Texas at $3.914, Kansas at $3.942, Missouri at $3.959 and Nebraska at $3.959.

Those gaps reflected a familiar mix of state fuel taxes, refinery constraints and the seasonal switch to summer-blend gasoline, all of which tend to keep West Coast markets and other supply-constrained regions well above the national average. The pressure was especially punishing in places already near $5 a gallon, and lower-income households were seeing the biggest budget hit from higher fuel costs.

The broader jump traced back to the war with Iran, after gasoline prices rose more than 30% and more than a dollar since the fighting began in late February. Before the conflict, gasoline had already been climbing; by late April, prices were up $1.25 a gallon, or more than 40%, from prewar levels. Tom Kloza of Gulf Oil said retailers were facing “the most serious squeeze” on margins since 2020, a sign that the pain was spreading beyond drivers to the businesses that move food, goods and commuters across the country. With crude still above $100 and inventories falling, the next move in pump prices depended on whether supply could rebuild before summer demand strengthened further.