Gas Prices Hit New Record After Surpassing $5 Nationwide

By Casey Harper

(The Center Square) – Gas prices hit another record high Monday, a troubling new daily trend that has set prices nationally at over $5 per gallon.

According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas is at $5.014. Last week, the national average price was $4.87 cents per gallon, and last month it was $4.43 per gallon. The same time last year, a gallon of gas nationwide averaged $3.08 per gallon.

Several states have surpassed the $5 mark in recent days, and California leads the nation with an average price of $6.44 per gallon. Several other states are near the $5 threshold.

If prices continue the rate of their accelerated rise seen in the past few weeks, then most states that haven’t yet will soon surpass that $5 mark.

Diesel gas prices hit a record high Sunday at $5.77 per gallon and slightly dipped Monday. Diesel prices in particular contribute to higher prices of all kinds of goods since it is more expensive to transport those goods to market.

Data released Friday showed the highest inflation in four decades, with food and energy price hikes making it difficult for many Americans to make ends meet.

President Joe Biden has taken fire for higher prices, with critics pointing out inflation has soared and gas prices have doubled since he took office.

The issue has put many Democrats in a tough position heading into November. Republicans have hammered Democrats for higher prices, an issue that is top of mind for voters, according to recent polling.

“It costs over $60 to fill up a 15 gallon gas tank in Georgia under Joe Biden, it was less than $30 under President Trump,” Jake Evans, a Republican attorney running to unseat a Democrat for Georgia’s sixth Congressional District, wrote on Twitter. “These gas prices are a tax on every single American family.”