The average price of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. reached its lowest late-summer price of the past four years this month — but not in Oregon, where gas prices rose over the same time period.
So far this month, the U.S. average for a gallon of gas has been about $3.13, a 3-cent drop from August 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Meanwhile, the average this month for a gallon in Oregon has been about $3.98, a 20-cent increase from August 2021, according to figures provided by AAA.
Adjusting for inflation, national gas prices are even more of a bargain for Americans. And even in Oregon, a 20-cent rise in gas prices over four years means prices didn’t increase as rapidly as inflation.
Nonetheless, per-gallon gas prices are far higher than August 2020, when they stood at just $2.18 nationally and $2.66 in Oregon.
According to figures provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and AAA, here’s what the August per-gallon prices have been over the last five years:
U.S.
2020: $2.18
2021: $3.16
2022: $3.98
2023: $3.84
2024: $3.39
2025: $3.13
Oregon
2020: $2.66
2021: $3.78
2022: $4.88
2023: $4.70
2024: $3.85
2025: $3.98
Oregon currently has the fourth-highest in gas prices in the nation, according to AAA. It follows California, with the highest, then Hawaii and Washington. Experts say higher gas prices in certain states are due to a historic combination of factors, including gas taxes, environmental protections or the geographic difficulty of transporting gas into the regions.
On Friday, Oregon’s Legislature will convene to hash out whether to raise the state’s 40-cent-per-gallon gas tax by 6 cents to support the state’s deteriorating transportation system.
The Pacific Northwest aside, the Trump administration was in full gear this week, heaping praise on itself for what it says will be the lowest Labor Day prices since the holiday in 2020.
“Thanks to President Trump fully unleashing American energy dominance, gas prices this summer are at five-year lows and families are saving significant money at the pump,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
Nationally, however, experts attribute the cheaper prices to a plentiful supply of oil from the top producing nations of the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia. Meanwhile, demand has been growing only slightly.
— Reporter Aimee Green covers politics, personal finance and issues that matter to consumers. She can be reached at 503-294-5119, agreen@oregonian.com or on Bluesky.
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