- Ahead of July Fourth, a gallon of unleaded gas costs, on average, about $3.50, more than $1 less than a year ago, according to AAA and GasBuddy.
- Low gas prices are expected to spur road trips over the holiday weekend, perhaps setting record travel levels of 50.7 million people in the U.S. on the move.
- But inflation – in the form of higher hotel rates and restaurant costs – and other economic concerns could temper travel.
As many prepare for an extra-long July Fourth weekend, those hitting the road will likely be greeted with prices at the pump more than a dollar below what they were a year ago – and lower than just a week and month ago, too.
The national average price for a gallon of unleaded gas – about $3.52 – was down about six cents from a week ago midday Thursday, according to real-time gas pricing app GasBuddy. That price is 3 or 4 cents lower than a month ago.
On average, gas prices on July 4 are projected to be about $1.30 per gallon less than this time last year, when gas prices were coming off record highs, according to GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan. Earlier in the week, he projected the national average to be $3.49 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline on the holiday this year.
“We could continue to see that national average slowly slipping,” De Haan told USA TODAY. However, he said, “it may stall out just shy of the $3.49 mark because the price of oil and the wholesale price of gasoline did take a big bounce (Wednesday).”
Is July 4th a good day to travel by car?Here are the best and worst times to drive.
AAA: Record-setting July Fourth travel predicted
Prices this July 4th holiday are way below those travelers faced last year when inflation drove the price of gas – and most other things – higher during the spring. By June 2022, the national average price for a gallon of unleaded topped $5 for the first time ever.
Over the last couple of months, the average price has remained about $3.50-$3.60, a factor that’s encouraging travel over the five-day July Fourth holiday (Friday to Tuesday), according to AAA. AAA’s tracking had Thursday’s national average of a gallon of unleaded at $3.54, four cents less than a month ago and $1.32 less than a year ago.
The travel organization has projected record-setting travel over the Fourth of July weekend with an estimated 50.7 million people in the U.S. traveling 50 miles or more from home. The majority of them, 43.2 million, will be driving, an increase of 4% over 2019’s previous record-setting Fourth of July weekend mark, according to AAA.
“We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in the group’s forecast earlier this week. “What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer. Many of them heeded our advice and booked early, another sign of strong travel demand.”
Gas prices: We’re saving $20 on a fill-up, but will we hit the road?
However, a record-setting travel holiday is not a done deal, De Haan says. According to GasBuddy’s 2023 summer travel survey, 36% of drivers planned to take a road trip over Independence Day weekend, up 9% from last year.
But demand for gas has been tempered, in part because of the economic slowdown and rising interest rates, De Haan says. Consumers are saving $20 on the average fill-up, he said, “but they’re still getting hit hard by other inflationary pressures like hotel accommodations and restaurants and other labor costs are still up.”
Travelers may have planned to drive somewhere over the holiday weekend but could be waffling. “They want to hit the road but some of these other aggravating factors and other forms of inflation are holding them back,” De Haan said. “It’s going to be a strong holiday weekend. A lot of people are going to be traveling, but I don’t think it’s going to be record-setting.”
Where is gas the most expensive in the U.S.?
The West and Hawaii are the places where the average price of a gallon of regular gas is over $4, according to AAA. Here are the averages of West Coast states bordering the Pacific Ocean: Washington ($4.99), Oregon ($4.64) and California ($4.83) – all higher than over the Memorial Day weekend.
In Hawaii, the average is $4.28.
Averages in other West states: Arizona ($3.93), Nevada ($4.21) and Utah ($3.97) – all lower than over Memorial Day weekend.
States with the least expensive gas prices
- Mississippi – $2.97
- Louisiana – $3.08
- Alabama – $3.10
- Tennessee – $3.10
- Arkansas – $3.11
Average gas prices per state
Are you wondering how much gas costs in your state on average? Here is how much it is across the country by fuel type as of Thursday, according to AAA:
Alabama gas prices
- Regular: $3.11
- Mid-grade: $3.50
- Premium: $3.88
- Diesel: $3.64
Alaska gas prices
- Regular: $4.28
- Mid-grade: $4.43
- Premium: $4.62
- Diesel: $4.16
Arizona gas prices
- Regular: $3.93
- Mid-grade: $4.24
- Premium: $4.53
- Diesel: $4.08
Arkansas gas prices
- Regular: $3.12
- Mid-grade: $3.51
- Premium: $3.87
- Diesel: $3.64
California gas prices
- Regular: $4.83
- Mid-grade: $5.03
- Premium: $5.19
- Diesel: $5.05
Colorado gas prices
- Regular: $3.67
- Mid-grade: $4.03
- Premium: $4.33
- Diesel: $3.92
Connecticut gas prices
- Regular: $3.63
- Mid-grade: $4.11
- Premium: $4.50
- Diesel: $4.08
DC gas prices
- Regular: $3.70
- Mid-grade: $4.31
- Premium: $4.65
- Diesel: $4.24
Delaware gas prices
- Regular: $3.36
- Mid-grade: $3.84
- Premium: $4.11
- Diesel: $3.68
Florida gas prices
- Regular: $3.31
- Mid-grade: $3.72
- Premium: $4.04
- Diesel: $3.71
Georgia gas prices
- Regular: $3.24
- Mid-grade: $3.64
- Premium: $4.02
- Diesel: $3.75
Hawaii gas prices
- Regular: $4.73
- Mid-grade: $4.93
- Premium: $5.20
- Diesel: $5.72
Idaho gas prices
- Regular: $3.97
- Mid-grade: $4.18
- Premium: $4.42
- Diesel: $3.98
Illinois gas prices
- Regular: $3.94
- Mid-grade: $4.46
- Premium: $4.88
- Diesel: $3.90
Indiana gas prices
- Regular: $3.40
- Mid-grade: $3.90
- Premium: $4.34
- Diesel: $3.93
Iowa gas prices
- Regular: $3.38
- Mid-grade: $3.66
- Premium: $4.12
- Diesel: $3.62
Kansas gas prices
- Regular: $3.25
- Mid-grade: $3.56
- Premium: $3.86
- Diesel: $3.58
Kentucky gas prices
- Regular: $3.29
- Mid-grade: $3.77
- Premium: $4.17
- Diesel: $3.73
Louisiana gas prices
- Regular: $3.09
- Mid-grade: $3.48
- Premium: $3.84
- Diesel: $3.48
Maine gas prices
- Regular: $3.61
- Mid-grade: $4.01
- Premium: $4.41
- Diesel: $4.17
Maryland gas prices
- Regular: $3.45
- Mid-grade: $3.98
- Premium: $4.23
- Diesel: $3.79
Massachusetts gas prices
- Regular: $3.55
- Mid-grade: $4.07
- Premium: $4.40
- Diesel: $4.20
Michigan gas prices
- Regular: $3.57
- Mid-grade: $4.02
- Premium: $4.49
- Diesel: $3.89
Minnesota gas prices
- Regular: $3.45
- Mid-grade: $3.75
- Premium: $4.15
- Diesel: $3.74
Mississippi gas prices
- Regular: $2.98
- Mid-grade: $3.37
- Premium: $3.72
- Diesel: $3.50
Missouri gas prices
- Regular: $3.28
- Mid-grade: $3.61
- Premium: $3.93
- Diesel: $3.51
Montana gas prices
- Regular: $3.71
- Mid-grade: $4.02
- Premium: $4.30
- Diesel: $4.12
Nebraska gas prices
- Regular: $3.35
- Mid-grade: $3.55
- Premium: $4.01
- Diesel: $3.58
Nevada gas prices
- Regular: $4.21
- Mid-grade: $4.46
- Premium: $4.69
- Diesel: $4.21
New Hampshire gas prices
- Regular: $3.50
- Mid-grade: $3.92
- Premium: $4.33
- Diesel: $4.10
New Jersey gas prices
- Regular: $3.47
- Mid-grade: $4.00
- Premium: $4.26
- Diesel: $3.70
New Mexico gas prices
- Regular: $3.46
- Mid-grade: $3.81
- Premium: $4.10
- Diesel: $3.88
New York gas prices
- Regular: $3.69
- Mid-grade: $4.14
- Premium: $4.49
- Diesel: $4.44
North Carolina gas prices
- Regular: $3.251
- Mid-grade: $3.64
- Premium: $3.99
- Diesel: $3.70
North Dakota gas prices
- Regular: $3.481
- Mid-grade: $3.79
- Premium: $4.10
- Diesel: $3.83
Ohio gas prices
- Regular: $3.36
- Mid-grade: $3.81
- Premium: $4.24
- Diesel: $3.79
Oklahoma gas prices
- Regular: $3.22
- Mid-grade: $3.55
- Premium: $3.83
- Diesel: $3.48
Oregon gas prices
- Regular: $4.64
- Mid-grade: $4.85
- Premium: $5.05
- Diesel: $4.44
Pennsylvania gas prices
- Regular: $3.63
- Mid-grade: $4.01
- Premium: $4.28
- Diesel: $4.30
Rhode Island gas prices
- Regular: $3.52
- Mid-grade: $4.11
- Premium: $4.45
- Diesel: $4.19
South Carolina gas prices
- Regular: $3.17
- Mid-grade: $3.57
- Premium: $3.93
- Diesel: $3.60
South Dakota gas prices
- Regular: $3.51
- Mid-grade: $3.65
- Premium: $4.13
- Diesel: $3.70
Tennessee gas prices
- Regular: $3.11
- Mid-grade: $3.51
- Premium: $3.86
- Diesel: $3.61
Texas gas prices
- Regular: $3.19
- Mid-grade: $3.59
- Premium: $3.92
- Diesel: $3.39
Utah gas prices
- Regular: $3.97
- Mid-grade: $4.20
- Premium: $4.41
- Diesel: $3.76
Vermont gas prices
- Regular: $3.61
- Mid-grade: $4.03
- Premium: $4.45
- Diesel: $3.94
Virginia gas prices
- Regular: $3.30
- Mid-grade: $3.72
- Premium: $4.03
- Diesel: $3.71
Washington gas prices
- Regular: $4.99
- Mid-grade: $5.20
- Premium: $5.40
- Diesel: $4.95
West Virginia gas prices
- Regular: $3.40
- Mid-grade: $3.73
- Premium: $4.02
- Diesel: $3.82
Wisconsin gas prices
- Regular: $3.43
- Mid-grade: $3.89
- Premium: $4.31
- Diesel: $3.61
Wyoming gas prices
- Regular: $3.62
- Mid-grade: $3.88
- Premium: $4.15
- Diesel: $4.14
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
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