Gas prices ahead of Thanksgiving holding steady

By Morgan Sweeney
The Center Square

The average price of gas has fallen in 2025, and it appears to be mostly holding steady around $3 heading into the Thanksgiving holiday – though fuel savings tracker GasBuddy reported that Tuesday saw the first sub-$2 per gallon prices at some gas stations since 2021.

In fact, though overall, Americans have paid less at the pump in 2025 than in 2024, the price of gas was just $3.06 one year ago today. One month ago, it was also $3.06 and it has fluctuated by just a few cents this week.

After surpassing $5 per gallon nationally in June 2022, regular unleaded fell to an average of about $3.52 per gallon in 2023 and $3.31 in 2024, according to the American Automobile Association’s fuel price tracker. This year, the price has dropped further, to an average of $3.12 per gallon for the year, with one month left in 2025.

The administration has touted the reduction as a byproduct of its energy policy and having President Donald Trump back in the White House. The White House released a statement in October when fuel savings tracker GasBuddy noted in a blog post that gas prices, which had slipped below $3 per gallon nationally, were the lowest they’d been in four years.

“[This is] the earliest date we’ve seen a $2.99 national average since 2020, when COVID was the primary driver of low prices,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Barring any major disruptions, gas prices are likely to remain slightly below year-ago levels and could stay under $3 for much of the next few months.”

The prices of many other goods haven’t eased quite as noticeably – or as much as many Americans would like to see – but the president recently quietly rolled back tariffs on more than 200 agricultural products in an attempt to make groceries more affordable. Energy products like crude oil and gasoline have been exempt from the raft of tariffs Trump has imposed.

Gas is cheapest in states in the south central U.S., currently averaging $2.50 per gallon in Oklahoma. North and South Carolina, a handful of Midwestern states, Wyoming and New Mexico are enjoying the next-lowest prices, ranging from $2.73 to $2.86 per gallon.

Gas is most expensive in Western states, Illinois and Pennsylvania, where some pay more than $4 per gallon. Californians pay $4.52 per gallon.