Average gas prices in the U.S. rose to $4.55 a gallon, officially marking all 50 states above $4 a gallon
07:17 ET, 20 May 2026Updated 07:57 ET, 20 May 2026
Gas prices have spiked to above $4 per gallon in every U.S. state (Image: AA)
Average gas prices in the U.S. rose to $4.55 a gallon on Wednesday, and all 50 states hit $4 a gallon in a stunning development of the ongoing oil crisis.
According to AAA, all 50 states have surpassed the $4-a-gallon mark on Wednesday. The priciest state to get gas was California, with average gas prices standing at $6.145, and the cheapest was Georgia at $4.006.
Meanwhile, in other states like Florida, average prices were $4.521; in New Jersey, $4.524; and in Texas, $4.038.
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Nationally, the average price for regular gas stood at $4.555 a gallon. That is up from a month ago, when the average national price was $4.042, and from a year ago, when the average price was $3.177.
The price increases are similarly dramatic across mid-grade, premium, and diesel. For instance, national diesel prices on Wednesday stood at $5.652, a slight increase from last month’s $5.531 and last year’s $3.545.
The priciest state to get gas was California, with average gas prices standing at $6.145, and the cheapest was Georgia at $4.006(Image: Getty Images)
The latest prices come just days before Memorial Day, when around 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles between Friday and Monday, setting a new record. Driving is expected to account for 87% of this year’s holiday travel, meaning skyrocketing fuel prices could put Americans’ plans in jeopardy.
“Some people aren’t really fazed by the higher gas prices. Others, it might impact how they travel,” AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins said. “You have a lot of people who are looking at maybe taking shorter trips, traveling closer to home, or just budgeting more for gasoline and cutting back on what they plan to spend on a hotel or dining out or shopping.”
To take the most advantage out of your tank, AAA advises avoiding aggressive starts and stops when driving, watching your speed, and not blasting your air conditioning as soon as you start your car.
“Our advice would be, when you first get into your car, roll the windows down, drive for a few minutes to let all of that really hot air get out, increase the ventilation, then turn on your air conditioning. So then it doesn’t have to work as hard,” Jenkins said. “When you’ve got those competitive forces at play, it’s going to make your engine work twice as hard to cool off the cabin, and that can burn through your fuel a lot faster.”
The latest prices come just days before Memorial Day, when around 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles between Friday and Monday, setting a new record(Image: Getty Images)
The latest prices also follow weeks of skyrocketing prices amid the ongoing war in Iran.
According to new research from Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs, Americans have spent more than $40 billion extra on fuel since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28. Similarly, the conflict has made consumers spend $41.5 billion on higher petrol and diesel prices as of Sunday night, or $316 per U.S. household.
“We are spending this huge amount of money as a country on extra fuel costs, which we could have used in a whole bunch of more constructive ways to improve America’s transportation infrastructure, which, frankly, could use the love,” Brown University political science professor Jeff Colgan said.
Despite the grim average prices, U.S. markets were poised to open Wednesday with some gains, as bond yields slipped and oil prices fell.
Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.4% while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.2% higher and Nasdaq futures jumped 0.7%.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased overnight to 4.64% from 4.66% late Tuesday, but is up from less than 4% before the war with Iran began. That’s a notable increase and part of the reason stock prices look even more expensive, threatening to slow the economy.
Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil fell $2.65 to $101.50 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $2.89 to $108.39 per barrel.
