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Texas sees 5th highest surge in gas prices in the U.S. since 2025

Houstonians are feeling the squeeze at the gas pump.

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Houston residents who are feeling the sting at the gas pump aren't alone: Residents all around Texas are seeing soaring prices for regular and diesel fuel in 2026.

In fact, the Lone Star State has seen the fifth-highest percentage increase in gas prices in the country from April 2025 to April 2026, a just-released SmartAsset study has found. The current cost of a regular gallon of gas is 36.1 percent higher now than it was a year ago, and diesel is 60.9 percent more expensive.

The report, "Gas Prices Hit Records in 2026: State by State Breakdown," compared average gas prices from AAA from April 1, 2025 and April 1, 2026 and calculated the one-year change across all 50 states. The study looked at the price of a gallon of regular, premium, and diesel.

According to AAA, the cost of a regular gallon of gas in Texas at the start of April was $3.77, while premium is $4.62 per gallon. Diesel ticked over $5 a gallon — ouch — at $5.11.

Houston gas prices aren't much cheaper than the statewide average. A gallon of regular costs up to $3.76 at some Houston-area pumps, and diesel is $5.05 per gallon. AAA says the highest recorded average price for gas in the city was in June 2022, when a gallon of regular cost $4.68 and diesel cost $5.24.

Though Texas' gas prices are continuing to climb, it ranks 35th in the national ranking of states with the highest cost for regular gas as of April 2026. Texas' diesel prices are the 14th highest nationwide.

With the national average price for gas at $4.06, SmartAsset said the sudden surge in prices can be attributed to the United States' war on Iran, and "subsequent pressure on the Strait of Hormuz."

"Many states have experienced a 33 percent year-over-year increase in the cost of a gallon of regular gas – and in some places it’s even higher," the report's author wrote. "Commercial and public programs may be feeling similarly pinched, with diesel prices upwards of $6.00 per gallon in many states."

California currently has the highest average price for regular and diesel — $5.89 per gallon and $7.52 per gallon, respectively.

Arizona leads the nation with the highest one-year increase in gas prices. Regular gas in the Grand Canyon State is nearly 38 percent more expensive than it was last year, at $4.70 per gallon, and diesel is about 69 percent higher at $6.04 for a gallon.

The state with the cheapest gas prices in April is Oklahoma, where regular costs $3.27 per gallon, premium is $3.97, and diesel is $4.49.

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This is how much Texas gas prices have fallen since May 2026

Close-Up of Woman Paying For Gas With Credit Card

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Millions of Americans will be traveling for the Fourth of July weekend.

Houstonians planning to travel over the holiday weekend will be relieved to know Texas is among the top 10 states with the biggest dips in gas prices since May.

A new SmartAsset study analyzed the changes in average gas prices across all 50 states between May 21 and June 28, 2026, and used the data to determine each state's "gas-price burden" — meaning the cost of filling a 15-gallon tank represented as the share of the estimated median weekly household income.

Texas had the fifth highest surge in gas prices in April, and prices across the U.S. continued soaring until reaching an annual peak in late May. On May 21, regular gas prices peaked at $4.09 in Texas, and the latest data has revealed statewide gas prices have dipped nearly 24 percent since then.

Now as of June 29, Texas gas prices have eased by 79 cents and now stand at $3.30 per gallon. Unfortunately, prices have not dwindled as much in Harris County. Many Houston residents will be seeing gas prices at around $3.38 on average.

Based on a Texas household's median weekly income of $1,617, the cost of filling up a 15-gallon tank of gas eats up 3.1 percent those earnings, the report added. That means Texas' gas-price burden is the 9th lowest in the U.S.

Texas has the second-cheapest price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. (behind Indiana) and it ranks 6th in the national comparison of states with the biggest gas price declines since May.

Colorado led the nation with the biggest dip in the price of gas since May, with prices declining by 29.2 percent. Gas now costs $3.89 per gallon, down from $4.77.

Declining gas prices are a welcome relief for commuters and for Texas residents hitting the road for the Fourth of July weekend. But that isn't the case for residents in other states like Hawaii, Alaska, or Washington, where gas prices have not seen as much relief.

"Lower prices and higher household incomes make a fill-up relatively affordable in some states, while gas costs consume a larger share of household income in others," the report said. "Three Pacific states continue to have the nation’s highest pump prices. A gallon of regular gasoline averages $5.52 in Hawaii, $5.46 in California and $5.20 in Washington."

The top 10 states with the biggest gas price drops since May 21 are:

No. 1 – Colorado
No. 2 – Kentucky
No. 3 – Indiana
No. 4 – Tennessee
No. 5 – Ohio
No. 6 – Texas
No. 7 – Iowa
No. 8 – Wisconsin
No. 9 – Oklahoma
No. 10 – Illinois

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