The latest fuel pricing point is a sign that gas prices are headed in the wrong direction as President Joe Biden prepares to leave office, unable to fulfill promises from the earlier years of his administration in which he vowed the cost of gas would become more reasonable. With only a few days before he leaves office, Biden is set to exit the presidency with the national average price for regular gas significantly higher than when he was inaugurated in January 2021, when it was $2.334 per gallon.

Since Biden came into office, gas prices have been an important topic for people in the country, as gas costs more than before Biden was elected. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas soared to over $3 per gallon in June 2021, less than six months after his term began, and has not been under the $3 per gallon price point since. Gas costs peaked in June 2022, reaching $4.929 per gallon, the highest national average price for a gallon of regular gas in the nation’s history, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Prices started to decrease the following month but fluctuated between 2022 and 2024 before reaching a high for the year in April 2024. By the next month, the cost of a gallon of gas began to fall gradually. Gas costs had dropped to an average of $3.01 per gallon by mid-December but have since gradually risen.

While the current national average price for regular gas is $3.103, costs vary across the country, depending on the state. Prices range from $2.66 to $4.544 per gallon. Mississippi has the cheapest average gas price in the country at $2.66 per gallon. Meanwhile, Hawaii is the state with the most expensive gas prices in the nation, averaging $4.544 per gallon.

Fuel costs are also rising in and around Washington, D.C., with prices ranging on Thursday from slightly over $3 per gallon to over $3.20 per gallon. Virginia, a state with an average price under $3 per gallon as recently as yesterday, is now up to $3.019, according to AAA. This price is the lowest in the Delmarva region. Delaware is the state with the next highest average cost for a gallon of regular gas at $3.127, while fuel prices in Maryland increased to $3.226 on Thursday. The nation’s capital has the most expensive gas prices in the area, with regular gas costing an average of $3.29 per gallon.