With summer in full swing, millions of Americans will be taking a road trip and looking for the cheapest places to fill up their tank. Drivers in California will be happy to learn they’re no longer the most expensive state for gas, while those in the state of Washington will be disappointed to find out they now hold that unwelcome title.
The average cost of regular gas in Washington state has jumped by 32 cents over the last month to $4.93 a gallon, according to AAA. And that’s 7-cents more than in California, which is known for high prices on everything, especially fuel. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, says California has been the most expensive state for gas for roughly 95% of the time during the last few years.
Until a few days ago, Washington had never had the highest gas prices of any state, according to GasBuddy data going back to 2005. But now some drivers there are paying over $5 a gallon, AAA reports that Washington’s Skamania County prices average $5.32 a gallon.
- Despite that, eight of the top 10 metro areas in the U.S. with the highest price at the pump are in California, according to AAA.
- Washington’s average price for gas is close to $2 a gallon more than the cheapest state, Mississippi, where prices average $3.01 a gallon.
Source: CNN