These states haven’t hit record-breaking gas prices yet: AAA
(NEXSTAR) – The United States, as a whole, continues to see record-breaking gas prices this week. As of Thursday, AAA is reporting the national average for a gallon of regular gas is $4.31, the highest it’s been since 2008.
While many states themselves have seen historic gas prices – most jumping to a new peak each day – there are nearly two dozen that haven’t broken their 2008 records.
According to AAA’s data, 19 states are still reporting average gas prices below previously set records. Of those, nine states are within 10 cents of hitting the record.
Here are the states that have not yet seen a record price, their current average price for a gallon of regular gas, and the state’s record price, based on AAA data.
State | Current gallon price | Record gallon price |
---|---|---|
Alaska | $4.680 | $4.695 |
Arkansas | $3.901 | $3.972 |
Colorado | $3.953 | $4.093 |
Iowa | $3.921 | $4.026 |
Kansas | $3.817 | $4.024 |
Kentucky | $4.042 | $4.089 |
Minnesota | $3.954 | $4.275 |
Missouri | $3.850 | $3.945 |
Montana | $4.002 | $4.207 |
Nebraska | $3.917 | $4.100 |
North Dakota | $3.890 | $4.238 |
Ohio | $4.091 | $4.159 |
Oklahoma | $3.852 | $3.954 |
South Carolina | $4.076 | $4.121 |
South Dakota | $3.946 | $4.091 |
Tennessee | $4.112 | $4.118 |
West Virginia | $4.118 | $4.156 |
Wisconsin | $4.038 | $4.115 |
Wyoming | $3.987 | $4.123 |
In 10 of these states, the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel has hit record costs: Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Eighteen of the 19 states above – sorry, Alaska – land in the top 20 cheapest states to find gas as of Thursday, according to AAA. Texas and Mississippi round out the list.
Gas prices vary throughout each state, meaning some metro areas may have already surpassed their state’s average price.
Will drivers in these 19 states be shelling out $5 per gallon any time soon? GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told Nexstar it’s not imminent in most states and too early to call, but he did say Nevada could potentially see $5 gas in 2022.
“It’s hard to give any assurance on where we’re going, how high we’ll get and when we will get there,” he said while answering questions during a Q&A Monday. “Most of the areas east of the Rockies are at low risk for some of the apocalyptic numbers like $5 and $6 per gallon…This is something that could change very quickly, but I don’t see that in most areas of the country just yet.”
Nexstar’s Jeremy Tanner contributed to this report.