The pain at the pump continues for the vast majority of American drivers.
According to AAA, the average price of regular unleaded gas surged 59 cents over the last month, and Monday's average of $4.87 per gallon represents the most expensive average rate in United States history.
The one-week pricing spikes in Michigan (45 cents per gallon), Indiana (41 cents), and Wisconsin (39 cents) have been staggering.
The price hikes in Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Texas have also been steep, with each of the six states incurring a minimum increase of 30 cents per gallon over the last week.
Amid this unprecedented surge, all 50 states are now reporting average fuel prices exceeding $4 per gallon, with Oklahoma being the last state to eclipse the $4 mark, on average (end of May).
The state posting the lowest unleaded gas right now? According to GasBuddy.com ... it's Georgia at $4.28 per gallon.
According to Gas Buddy, which monitors fuel trends in various markets and countries, 10 different states — Indiana ($5.12 per gallon), Arizona ($5.14), Michigan ($5.15), Washington ($5.39), Oregon ($5.40), Hawaii ($5.42), Illinois ($5.43), Alaska ($5.44), Nevada ($5.48), and California ($6.33) — are currently reporting gas averages at $5 or higher.
In fact, a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles reportedly has unleaded fuel at $8.05 per gallon.
For that particular situation, however, corporate Chevron said: "This station, along with the majority of our branded stations in California, are owned by independent businesspeople who make their own decisions about the price to charge at their stations."
In a Monday blog post, AAA attributed the record-high fuel costs to a volatile market and high demand.
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, AAA revealed that gasoline stocks decreased 5.1 million barrels to 414.7 million barrels, while demand skyrocketed from 8.8 million barrels a day to 8.98 million.
As such, the price hikes are unlikely to dissipate in the short term, says AAA spokesman Andrew Gross.
"People are still fueling up, despite these high prices," Gross wrote on the AAA blog. "At some point, drivers may change their daily driving habits or lifestyle due to these high prices, but we are not there yet."
Analysts have predicted that U.S. drivers could pay more than $5 per gallon this summer. And last month, JPMorgan analysts warned of the national average potentially hitting $6.20 per gallon by August.
The Biden administration has been catching plenty of heat about the record-high fuel prices; and apparently, the White House has no immediate plan for reducing gasoline prices before families take to summer vacations, en masse.
"The idea we're going to be able to, you know, click a switch and bring down the cost of gasoline is not likely in the near term, nor is it with regard to food," said President Joe Biden recently.
As a counter to Biden's speculation, back in January 2021, the final month of former President Donald Trump's tenure in the White House, the average price of gas was $2.41 per gallon — with some states even reporting gas at less than $2 per gallon.
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