Six states are now averaging more than $5 a gallon for regular gasoline, and the national average jumped 13 cents in the past week alone, according to fuel price data current as of September 10, 2026. The increase lands during a season when pump prices typically ease as summer driving winds down, which makes the move harder for households to plan around. For someone living on a fixed Social Security check or pension, a fast-moving cost like gasoline eats into a budget that adjusts far more slowly than the price at the pump.
Six States Cross the $5-a-Gallon Line
California carries the nation’s highest regular gasoline price at $5.8992 a gallon, followed by Washington at $5.5382, Hawaii at $5.4005, Oregon at $5.0663, Alaska at $5.0505 and Nevada at $5.0134. Those six are the only states currently averaging above the $5 mark; the next-closest, Idaho, sits noticeably lower at $4.7624, with Utah at $4.6890 and Arizona at $4.5704 rounding out the next tier. A driver crossing from Idaho into Oregon, or from Arizona into California, faces a jump of 30 to more than 130 cents a gallon in a single fill-up.
The same six states also post the country’s highest diesel prices — $7.9114 a gallon in California and $7.0021 in Washington — a cost that filters into delivery charges for groceries and heating fuel well beyond the driveway, according to AAA’s state-by-state gas price tracking, updated September 10, 2026.
Free retirement updates: Keep more of a Social Security check and retirement savings with plain-English updates on the changes, deadlines, and costly mistakes retirees miss. Subscribe free.
A 13-Cent Jump Fueled by Crude Near $100 a Barrel
Nationally, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline reached $4.2770 on September 10, 2026, up from $4.1436 the week before — a 13-cent increase in seven days, AAA reported. The average was $4.0091 a month ago and $3.1938 a year ago, meaning today’s price sits more than a dollar higher than it did in September 2025. AAA attributed the move to volatility around the Strait of Hormuz, which has pushed crude oil back toward the $100-a-barrel range for the first time since July; West Texas Intermediate settled at $96.05 on Wednesday, up $3.02 for the session. The move breaks from the usual seasonal pattern, in which gasoline demand — and prices — normally ease once Labor Day traffic tapers off.
The federal data AAA cited alongside its report shows the pressure isn’t coming from a domestic supply shortage in the conventional sense. Gasoline demand fell last week, from 8.92 million barrels a day to 8.55 million, while total domestic gasoline supply rose from 205.7 million to 206.9 million barrels. Gasoline production slipped from 9.8 million barrels a day to 9.3 million, and crude oil inventories fell 0.4 million barrels to 424.1 million barrels, roughly matching the five-year average. The increase, in other words, is tracking the crude oil market’s reaction to shipping risk in the Middle East rather than a shortage of gasoline on the ground.
What a Wider Pump Bill Costs a Retiree Filling Up Weekly
The dollar difference is easiest to see at the pump, using AAA’s own averages. A driver filling a 15-gallon tank paid about $2 more this week than the week before, based on the national average alone, and roughly $16 more than the same fill-up cost a year ago. In one of the six states now above $5 a gallon, that same 15-gallon fill-up runs $75 to $88; in Indiana, the state with the lowest average, it runs closer to $53. For a retiree on a fixed monthly check, a swing like that shows up immediately at the pump, long before any other line of a monthly budget has a chance to adjust. Gasoline is one of the few recurring costs that moves week to week rather than month to month, which is part of why a 13-cent jump registers faster than a change in rent or a grocery bill.
The effect compounds for anyone who drives regularly for medical appointments, prescription pickups or caregiving trips rather than a daily commute, since those miles don’t disappear just because gas costs more. On a 20-mile round trip in a car averaging 25 miles per gallon, the fuel alone now runs about 11 cents more nationally than it did a week ago, and 90 cents to $1.30 more in California, Washington or Hawaii than the same trip would cost at the national average, since those three states sit furthest above the $5 line. None of that shows up in a monthly Social Security deposit, which is fixed until the next scheduled adjustment, leaving the difference to come out of whatever else is left in the budget that week.
The Cheapest Pumps Still Sit Near $3.56 a Gallon
Indiana has the nation’s lowest average price for regular gasoline at $3.5623 a gallon, followed by Mississippi at $3.80, Texas at $3.83 and Kansas at $3.84, the same AAA tracking shows. That roughly $2.34 spread between Indiana and California is wider than it was a week earlier, since the increase has not moved evenly across every state. Beyond the six $5-plus states, Northeastern averages sit closer to the national figure — New Jersey at $4.3653, Connecticut at $4.3707 and the District of Columbia at $4.2480 — showing the increase has been broadly felt well outside the most expensive markets. AAA’s Wednesday close data put West Texas Intermediate at $96.05 a barrel, up $3.02 for the session, the closest crude has traded to the $100 mark since July — the move now showing up at pumps nationwide, hardest in the six states already above $5.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by The Financial Wire editorial team.
More Financial Reading
- What really happens to your joint savings account when you die?
- Adding someone to your bank account: tax traps and smart moves
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
