Updated Sept. 17, 2026, 6:02 p.m. ET
The cost of filling up kept climbing for many Americans this week.
Gas prices have regularly increased since the start of the Iran war more than six months ago, becoming a sore spot for the Trump administration moving into the midterm elections. The president addressed concerns about climbing fuel costs at a Sept. 16 rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, saying, “It’s a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done. Remember that."
"It’s a little more. Frankly, even if it was a lot more,” Trump added. “But that’s going to come tumbling down.”
The nationwide average for one gallon of unleaded, regular fuel was $4.44 on Thursday, Sept. 17, up from $4.37 the previous day and $4.28 a week ago, according to American Automobile Association (AAA) and U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. The highest recorded nationwide average peaked at $5.02 on Monday, Sept. 14. Thursday's national average was up more than $1.20 compared to a year ago.
California, Alaska and Hawaii, the states that tend to have the highest gas prices, averaged $6.01, $5.07 and $5.48, respectively, on Sept. 17.
See gas prices by state
California topped the list with an average gas price of $6.09 as of Sept. 17, followed by Washington at $5.58 and Nevada at $5.19.
All prices below are for one gallon of regular, unleaded fuel.
See gas prices by region
Even without California, which tops the price list, the West Coast consistently has the highest average, followed by the Rocky Mountain region, then the Central Atlantic. All regions were up over $1 compared to the same date last year (Sept. 14).
All prices below are for one gallon of regular, unleaded fuel.
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
