Washington passes California as most expensive state for gas: AAA

(NEW YORK) — Washington state has overtaken California as the state with the highest gasoline prices.

The average price of regular gas in Washington is $4.93 a gallon, up 33 cents from the same time a month ago, according to AAA.

California’s average price for regular gas is $4.86 a gallon, 7 cents cheaper than Washington, AAA data shows. The price of gas in the state is up 6 cents from this time a month ago.

California has often been the state with the highest gas prices, with drivers paying an average of $6.40 a gallon in July 2022.

While the average price of gas in Washington is $4.93, some motorists are paying over $5 for gas in some counties, according to AAA data.

The average gas price in King County, Washington, which is the home of Seattle, sits at $5.09, according to AAA. Skamania County’s average price for gasoline is $5.32, the highest in the state.

The national average for gas is $3.58 as of Wednesday, according to AAA.

The countrywide average for gas has tallied between $3.50 and $3.60 daily since April 23, according to GasBuddy.

Following Washington and California is Hawaii, where the median gas price is $4.72, AAA data shows. Rounding out the top 5 are Oregon and Nevada, at $4.57 and $4.26, respectively.

By contrast, the average gas price is $3.09 in Mississippi, the lowest in the nation, AAA data shows.

“It has been a quiet week for the national average, with little overall movement in average gas prices nationally even as oil prices have been a bit unstable,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a blog post Tuesday on the company’s website. “Some states have seen minor increases while others have seen decreases, and the mixed bag is likely to continue for the time being with oil prices a bit all over the place.”

Haan said economic uncertainty is the main reason why oil prices have decreased but it won’t be enough to prevent a continued downward trend because oil and gas inventories are tight.

“We’ll have to see which of those factors emerges as a winner to predict when the next large movement in prices could be,” Haan said. “We’re also seeing more tropical activity in the Atlantic that could pose challenges in the weeks ahead as hurricane season ramps up.”