California Tops Nation’s Highest Gas Prices at $6.43 Per Gallon

California is once again at the top of the charts, leading the nation in… wait for it… gas and diesel prices.

AAA reports today’s national average of $5.014 per gallon — California comes in at a cool $6.436 per gallon for Regular, and nearly $7.00 per gallon for Diesel.

California’s prices greatly top the national averages: The average for a gallon of regular gas in California is $6.436 per gallon, and a gallon of diesel is $6.991.

The Globe just took the photo above Monday June 13, 2022 at a Chevron gas station in Sacramento, CA.

With Regular at $6.79 and Diesel at $7.39, California’s gas prices are much higher than the state average and even higher than Hawaii and Alaska.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday:

“California, Oregon and Washington have traditionally had higher fuel costs than the national average due to a lack of refineries and pipelines that can pump in domestic oil, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at price tracker GasBuddy. These states have to pay higher prices to ship in oil, much of it from abroad, which then gets passed down to the consumer, he said.”

AAA reports that Georgia drivers are paying on average $4.484 per gallon of gas – the lowest in the country.

Florida drivers are paying $4.891 per gallon of gas.

Indiana drivers are paying $5.221 per gallon of gas.

Tennessee drivers are paying $4.642 per gallon of gas.

Mississippi drivers are paying $4.524 per gallon of gas.

Texas drivers are paying $4.664 per gallon of gas.

California drivers are paying $6.436 per gallon of gas.

The Wall Street Journal noted that “states along the Gulf Coast, including Texas and Louisiana, are among the states with the cheapest gas because of the abundance of fuel refineries, pipelines and domestic sources of oil in the region.”

And with California’s abundant petroleum industry regulations, highest-in-the-nation gas taxes, and special “summer blend,” expect to see that $6.436 per gallon of gas get much higher this summer – some predict over $10.00 per gallon!

Gas Buddy explains the summer blends: “March-April refineries begin to produce summer gasoline blends. More than 14 different blends are produced during this period, due to different state regulations for reformulated gasoline and Reid vapor pressure requirements. May 1: Fuel terminals are required to sell only summer gasoline on May 1, while gas stations have until June 1 to complete the changeover to summer gasoline. The switch from winter to summer gasoline is one of the major factors behind seasonal fuel price increases in May.”