The 20 US states where gas prices are rising the most amid the Iran war

Oil and gas prices are surging amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.
Gas prices across the US have been spiking, with a gallon exceeding $3 in all 50 states.
New Mexico has seen the greatest rise in gas prices over the past month, surging by 45%.

Americans are feeling the effects of the ongoing war in Iran at the gas pump.

Since the conflict started at the end of February, gas prices have been rising across the US, with a gallon of gas surpassing $3 in all 50 states for the first time since 2023.

The war, which has been ongoing after the US and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28, has sent global oil markets soaring.

The war has significantly disrupted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping artery through which roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas travel regularly.

On average, gas prices across all US states have risen by 31.03% in the past month, according to data from AAA's Fuel Price Tracker.

In multiple states, gas prices are a full dollar higher than they were a month ago.

We looked at the gas prices reported by AAA on March 18 and compared those to prices on February 18. We calculated the percentage increase for each state to determine where prices are rising the most.

In these 20 states, price increases are rapidly outpacing the national average.

20. South Carolina

Old gas station in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Average gas price: $3.53

Average price one month ago: $2.66

Increase: 32.6%

In South Carolina, the towns of Hilton Head and Bluffton have seen the highest gas prices, with a gallon reaching $3.63 in the metro area, AAA reported on March 18.

The state set its highest-ever gas price record on June 12, 2022, when a gallon reached $4.61.

19. Missouri

A man standing next to a gas pump next to a Route 66 sign.

Average gas price: $3.36

Average price one month ago: $2.52

Increase: 33.2%

Missouri's counties in the St. Louis metropolitan area are seeing the highest gas prices in the state, with Jefferson County recording the highest average at $3.63 per gallon, AAA reported.

The state's highest recorded average was $4.68 per gallon on June 16, 2022.

18. Minnesota

Average gas price: $3.44

Average price one month ago: $2.57

Increase: 34%

Dodge County, about 80 miles south of Minneapolis, recorded the highest average gas price in the state at $3.60 per gallon, AAA reported on March 18.

Minnesota's highest-ever recorded state average was $4.76 per gallon on June 15, 2022.

17. Wisconsin

Gas pumps outside a Freedom gas station.

Average gas price: $3.42

Average price one month ago: $2.55

Increase: 34.4%

Menominee County, located about 50 miles northwest of Green Bay, recorded the highest average price in the state at $3.60 per gallon, AAA reported on March 18.

Wisconsin's highest recorded average price, reached on June 12, 2022, was $4.92 per gallon.

16. Arkansas

Two cars under the awning of a Valero gas station in Rockport, Arkansas.

Average gas price: $3.31

Average price one month ago: $2.46

Increase: 34.7%

Calhoun County recorded an average of $3.70 per gallon, the highest in the state.

Arkansas' highest recorded average price was $4.54 per gallon on June 14, 2022.

15. Alabama

Buc-ee's gas pumps in Robertsdale, Alabama.

Average gas price: $3.54

Average price one month ago: $2.63

Increase: 34.7%

Wilcox County's average price was $3.86 per gallon, the highest in the state.

On June 14, 2022, Alabama recorded its highest-ever average price at $4.63 per gallon.

14. Florida

A pickup truck at a gas station in Miami, Florida.

Average gas price: $3.93

Average price one month ago: $2.91

Increase: 35.1%

Monroe County, at the southwest tip of the state, recorded the highest average prices at $4.14 per gallon.

The state's highest-ever average was $4.89 per gallon on June 13, 2022.

13. Iowa

Average gas price: $3.35

Average price one month ago: $2.45

Increase: 36.9%

Buchanan County recorded an average pump price of $3.58 per gallon, the highest in the state.

On June 15, 2022, Iowa recorded its highest-ever state average at $4.76 per gallon.

12. Ohio

Average gas price: $3.71

Average price one month ago: $2.70

Increase: 37.1%

Huron County recorded the highest average price per gallon in Ohio at $3.80.

On June 9, 2022, the state average price per gallon jumped to $5.07, the highest in Ohio's history.

11. Georgia

Average gas price: $3.73

Average price one month ago: $2.71

Increase: 37.5%

In Hancock County, the average price per gallon reached $3.90, the highest county average in the state, AAA reported on March 18.

Georgia's highest-ever state average was $4.50, recorded on June 15, 2022.

10. Tennessee

Average gas price: $3.55

Average price one month ago: $2.58

Increase: 37.8%

Lewis County recorded the highest average price in the state at $3.80 per gallon.

On June 12, 2022, the statewide average of $4.64 per gallon was Tennessee's highest ever recorded.

9. Mississippi

Vintage car parked next to an old gas station on Highway 61, in Sibley, Mississippi.

Average gas price: $3.44

Average price one month ago: $2.49

Increase: 38.2%

Mississippi's highest county average price was $3.62 per gallon in Noxubee County, AAA reported.

The state recorded its highest average on June 12, 2022, when the average statewide price reached $4.53 per gallon.

8. Indiana

Gas station at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Average gas price: $3.80

Average price one month ago: $2.75

Increase: 38.3%

La Porte County recorded a price of $3.93 per gallon, the highest county average in the state, AAA reported on March 18.

On June 9, 2022, the statewide average reached $5.23 per gallon, the highest ever recorded in Indiana's history.

7. Colorado

Maverick gas station. One of three gas stations located at the intersection of Kipling Pkwy and Colfax Ave. in Lakewood, Colorado on Thursday, December 12, 2024.

Average gas price: $3.83

Average price one month ago: $2.76

Increase: 38.6%

The state's Glenwood Springs reported the highest average prices, at $4.05 per gallon.

Colorado's highest-ever average gas prices were recorded on June 21, 2022, when the price per gallon reached $4.92.

6. Texas

Gasoline prices are seen at a Chevron gas station in Houston, Texas, on March 16, 2026. Oil prices retreated and equities rose Monday as investors remained focused on the Strait of Hormuz, with US allies pushing back against President Donald Trump's demands to help reopen the key waterway to oil and natural gas tankers.

Average gas price: $3.54

Average price one month ago: $2.55

Increase: 38.9%

In Texas, the highest prices were seen in El Paso, where the average gallon price hit $3.87.

The state's highest recorded average price was on June 15, 2022, at $4.695 per gallon

5. Arizona

A gas station in Nogales, Arizona, on October 26, 2024.

Average gas price: $4.40

Average price one month ago: $3.16

Increase: 39.1%

Arizona's highest average gas price was in Peoria, where a gallon reached $4.70.

The state's highest recorded average price was on June 17, 2022, when a gallon hit $5.39.

4. Louisiana

People get gas at a fueling station along Interstate 12 on September 1, 2021 in Hammond, Louisiana. Tropical Storm Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Sunday in Louisiana and brought flooding, wind damage and power outages along the Gulf Coast

Average gas price: $3.49

Average price one month ago: $2.51

Increase: 39.1%

Located 45 miles east of Baton Rouge and 45 miles northeast of New Orleans, Hammond recorded the highest average gas price in Louisiana at $3.51.

The state saw its record prices on June 15, 2022, when a gallon reached $4.56.

3. Oklahoma

A gas station, near oil well storage tanks and a pumping rig, was selling gas for $1.16 a gallon, February 12, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Average gas price: $3.24

Average price one month ago: $2.29

Increase: 41.2%

The Tulsa metro area is seeing the highest gas prices in the state, with a gallon reaching $3.28.

The record for the highest gas prices in the state was set on June 15, 2022, when a gallon of gas reached $4.67.

2. Kentucky

A person pumps gas at a gas station as the national average falls under $2 per gallon amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 02, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Average gas price: $3.66

Average price one month ago: $2.59

Increase: 41.4%

At $3.75 per gallon, the Louisville metro area is seeing the highest prices in the state of Kentucky.

The state saw its record-high gas prices on June 11, 2022, when a gallon reached $4.798.

1. New Mexico

Gas prices are displayed at a gas station near the drought-stricken Elephant Butte Reservoir, as monsoon rain falls in the distance, on August 16, 2022 near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

Average gas price: $3.79

Average price one month ago: $2.61

Increase: 45%

Gas prices are rising more in New Mexico than in any other US state. The city of Las Cruces is seeing the sharpest hikes, with prices hitting $3.88 per gallon, AAA reported on March 18.

The state saw its highest-ever gas prices on June 15, 2022, when a gallon of gas hit $4.83.

The post The 20 US states where gas prices are rising the most amid the Iran war appeared first on Business Insider