The national average price for regular gas increased on Monday, January 20, to $3.125 per gallon, up from $3.065 last week, according to AAA. This was also an increase compared to a month ago when the cost of gas was $3.05. Additionally, Monday’s price was more expensive than regular gas a year ago, costing $3.082 per gallon.
High fuel costs were a political burden for President Joe Biden throughout his presidential term. Thus, it is perhaps symbolic that as Biden leaves the White House for the final time, the price of gas is trending upward. Despite promises to the country’s people to lower gas prices again, Biden could never achieve this. And while costs have decreased from their peak in June 2022, the average price for a gallon of gas still remains over $3 per gallon – a stark contrast from the average cost for gas when Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, was in office.
During Biden’s term, the national average price for regular gas first exceeded $3 per gallon in June 2021, less than six months into office. Fuel costs peaked at $4.929 in June 2022, which is the highest national average price for a gallon of regular gas in the nation’s history, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Prices began to decrease the following month but continued to fluctuate between 2022 and 2024 before reaching a high for the year in April 2024. The following month, gas prices again began to decrease, albeit gradually. Over the next eight months, the cost of gas would eventually drop to $3.01 per gallon by mid-December. However, since then, prices have gradually increased.
While the current national average price for regular gas is $3.125, costs vary across the country, depending on the state. Prices range from $2.68 to $4.531 per gallon.Hawaii has the most expensive gas prices in the nation, averaging $4.531 per gallon. Meanwhile, Mississippi has the lowest gas prices, at $2.68 per gallon.
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Fuel costs have soared recently in and around Washington, D.C. Prices in the nation’s capital Monday ranged from over $3 per gallon to over $3.34 per gallon. Virginia, a state with an average price under $3 per gallon as recently as last week, is now up to $3.072, according to AAA. This price is the lowest in the Delmarva region. Delaware, which used to have the least expensive gas prices in the nation, has the next highest average cost for a gallon of regular gas at $3.223.
The average price of gas in Maryland has increased significantly to $3.34, an increase of over twenty-three cents from just a week ago. It is now the state with the highest gas prices in the region. In D.C., gas prices are slightly lower compared to Maryland, sitting at $3.282 on Monday.
