Gas Prices Climb in Wyoming as 4th of July Weekend Approaches

According to AAA, a record-breaking number of travelers will hit road to travel for the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend. This year's holiday weekend is considering as being July 1st through July 5th. And if you happen to be on the roads at anytime during then, don't expect to get a price break at the pump.

The national average is at $3.11 per gallon as of June 30th. In Wyoming, the state average is $.15 higher at $3.26 per gallon. In fact, Wyoming has the 7th biggest increase of any state's average in gas price. Gas prices jumping prior to a holiday weekend are no surprise, but the price increases at the pump in our state have been steadily noticeable.

AAA spokesperson, Jeanette McGee, spoke of the steady increases:

Today, 89% of U.S. gas stations are selling regular unleaded for $2.75 or more. That is a stark increase over last July 4 when only a quarter of stations were selling gas for more than $2.25...Road trippers will pay the most to fill up for the holiday since 2014.

Although it certainly seems high right now, we are still more than half a dollar less than the national average during July 4th weekend in 2014 when it was a whopping $3.66 per gallon.

The biggest factors in recent gas price hikes, as pointed out by AAA and especially in the past year, are global oil demand spikes, the easing of travel restrictions so that more people are traveling for their leisure, and the confidence of the vaccination rollout worldwide. Even after the holiday weekend, gas prices are likely to increase all the way through the end of this summer.

In any event, we wish everyone safe and happy travels this 4th of July weekend!