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AAA put the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline at $4.56 this Memorial Day weekend, the highest the holiday average has been in four years, as the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz pushes pump prices higher heading into the summer travel season.
The current average is up 3 cents from last week and $1.38 above the same period last year. The last time Memorial Day gas prices were this elevated was in 2022, when the national average reached $4.61 a gallon. AAA said gasoline demand is rising and pump prices are likely to stay elevated through the summer.
A record 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles over the holiday weekend, according to AAA, with 87% of those travelers driving to their destinations. Both figures mark an increase over the 44.8 million who traveled over the holiday in 2025 and the 42.8 million who did so in 2019.
Prices vary widely by state. California leads all markets at $6.14 per gallon, followed by Washington state at $5.78 and Hawaii at $5.64, according to AAA. Mississippi has the lowest average in the country at $4.01 per gallon. Every state has crossed the $4 threshold, and seven states are posting averages above $5, as Quartz reported earlier this week.
