After weeks of declining prices, with the national average for a gallon of gas falling to $3.01 in December, gas prices increased slightly after Christmas. Today’s cost for a gallon of gas is nearly as expensive as a year ago, when the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $3.071. Nevertheless, despite the recent marginal increases, fuel costs have dropped significantly from 2024’s highs in spring. Overall, the national average cost for a gallon of regular gas is the lowest since May 2021, when the average price was $2.985 per gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration. 

Since President Joe Biden began his term, gas prices have been an important topic for people in the country, as gas has cost considerably more than when President-elect Donald Trump was in office. In June 2021, less than six months after Biden’s inauguration, gas prices soared to over $4 per gallon. After rising to the highest national average price in the country’s history in 2022, gas prices started to decrease. 

Prices fluctuated from 2022 to 2024 before reaching the high for the year in April 2024. By the next month, the cost of a gallon of gas began to fall gradually. However, with one week left in Biden’s term, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas today is more expensive than any time during Trump’s term between January 2017 and January 2020.

While the current national average price for regular gas is $3.065, costs vary across the country, depending on the state. Prices range from $2.56 to $4.54 per gallon. Hawaii has the most expensive gas prices in the nation at $4.54 per gallon. Meanwhile, at $2.56 per gallon, Oklahoma has the cheapest gas. 

Despite Monday’s national average price for regular gas at $3.065, gas prices around the nation vary significantly, depending on the state. Fuel costs range from $2.582 to $4.524 per gallon. Hawaii has the most expensive gas prices in the nation at $4.524 per gallon. Meanwhile, at $2.582 per gallon, Oklahoma has the cheapest gas.

In Washington, D.C., and the states surrounding the nation’s capital, gas prices range from under $3 per gallon to over $3.20 per gallon on Monday. Virginia has the least expensive prices in the Delmarva region, costing $2.951 per gallon. Delaware is the state with the next highest average cost for a gallon of regular gas at $3.041, while the state average for a gallon of regular gas in Maryland on Monday is $3.111. Washington, D.C., has the highest average gas prices in the area, costing $3.238 for a gallon of regular gas.