Pain at the Pump: Gas Hits $4.15 a Gallon, an Election Day Record
Gasoline remains historically expensive for a congressional Election Day, even after prices fell over the past week.
The national average price of regular gasoline stood at about $4.15 a gallon on Election Day, setting a record for a congressional election day even as prices fell from the previous week.
AAA's November 3 figures put the national regular-gas average at $4.1493 a gallon. The motor club's Oregon and Idaho office described the $4.15 rounded figure as the highest ever on a congressional election day, exceeding the $3.80 average recorded on November 8, 2022.
The record is an Election Day comparison, not an all-time high at the pump. Prices were higher earlier this year and during the 2022 fuel-price spike. USA Today also noted that inflation-adjusted comparisons tell a different story from the nominal dollar figures motorists see on station signs.
A separate federal measure showed that prices had eased heading into the vote. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported regular gasoline at $4.153 a gallon for the week of November 2, down 11.6 cents from the previous week. That weekly survey is separate from AAA's daily average, although both rounded to about $4.15.
AAA attributed the recent declines to cheaper winter-blend fuel, refinery maintenance winding down and the seasonal drop in gasoline demand. The lower weekly prices offer some relief, but the national average remains above the roughly $3 level drivers saw a year ago.
The national figure also masks large regional differences. EIA's latest weekly survey put regular gasoline at $3.636 on the Gulf Coast and $5.296 on the West Coast, with taxes included. A driver's local pump price may differ substantially from the U.S. average.
Fuel costs remain part of the broader cost-of-living picture facing households as voters decide control of Congress. The latest figures show both sides of that picture: a retreat from recent prices, alongside an unusually expensive Election Day fill-up.