Gas Averages $4.06, Priciest August on Record

A gallon of regular gasoline averaged $4.063 nationally on Monday, Aug. 17, according to AAA — up just over five cents from a week ago and more than 92 cents above what drivers paid at this time last year.

AAA says 2026 is the highest August on record for the national gasoline average.

The pressure is coming from crude. AAA said last week that continued uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz is keeping oil in the $80-per-barrel range even though demand is down.

The Numbers

Monday's national average was $4.063, per PennLive's reading of AAA data; the Washington Examiner logged it at $4.0636, a hair below Sunday's $4.0656 but above the $4.0091 of a week earlier. A month ago the average was $3.981. A year ago it was $3.138.

Diesel is climbing harder: $5.445 a gallon Monday, up from $5.299 a week ago and $5.058 a month ago — and far above last year's $3.702.

Prices have swung wildly all year, from a low of $2.79 in January to $4.562 in May, the Examiner reported. Monday marks the third time in 2026 the national average has topped $4, itself a record.

Twenty-three states now average $4 or more, 11 average $4.30 or more, and no state is under $3.55, according to AAA.

Cheapest And Most Expensive States

Cheapest, as of Aug. 17: Louisiana at $3.569, Indiana at $3.585, Alabama at $3.604, South Carolina at $3.605 and Mississippi at $3.606.

Most expensive: California at about $5.58, Hawaii at $5.432, Washington at $5.19, Alaska at $4.839 and Nevada at $4.766.

The split is geographic and consistent: the highest prices sit on the West Coast, the lowest in the Midwest and South.