Orange County residents are facing significantly higher costs at the pump, with the average price for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline reaching $6.265 on Thursday. This marks an increase of 1.9 cents from the previous day and represents the highest average price recorded in the county since September 29, 2023. Drivers have now seen prices climb for 37 consecutive days, a sustained rise that has added 69 cents to the cost of a gallon. This includes a 2.2 cent increase observed on Wednesday alone.
Compared to just one week ago, the average price in Orange County is 15 cents higher, demonstrating a rapid escalation. Over the past month, prices have surged by 62.6 cents, impacting household budgets and business operating costs across the region. Looking back a full year, current prices are $1.565 greater than they were, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. These same figures indicate a substantial increase of $1.629 since the start of the "war on Iran" on February 28, a period during which oil prices reportedly rose and "drastically accelerated increases at the gas pump."
Neighboring Los Angeles County has experienced a similar trend in rising fuel costs. The average price there increased by 2.4 cents on Thursday, reaching $6.282. This is the highest average for Los Angeles County since October 2, 2023. Like Orange County, Los Angeles has also endured 37 straight days of price increases, totaling 64 cents, with a 1.7 cent rise noted on Wednesday.
In Los Angeles County, the average price is 14.7 cents more than it was one week ago and 60.1 cents higher than one month ago. When compared to the same time last year, drivers are paying $1.555 more per gallon. The increase since the beginning of the "joint U.S./Israel war on Iran" on February 28 stands at $1.588, further illustrating the impact of global events on local consumer expenses.
Nationally, the average price for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline increased by eight-tenths of a cent to $4.482, following "back-to-back decreases totaling four-tenths of a cent." The national average is 4.4 cents more than one week ago, 38.3 cents higher than one month ago, and $1.319 greater than one year ago. Since the "attack on Iran," the national average price has increased by $1.50.
Patrick De Haan, who serves as the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, stated that the national average price is at "its highest amount this late in the calendar year." GasBuddy provides real-time gas price information gathered from more than 150,000 stations.
