Gas Is Above $4 Before Labor Day. What the Record Shows — Is America Better Yet?

AAA puts regular gas at $4.15 a gallon, about 94 cents more than a year ago. Federal data confirms lower inventories and near-full refineries, while the final Labor Day record remains a forecast.

Roberto Zapatero

— 6 min read
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AAA's national average for regular gasoline was $4.1459 on September 5—about 94 cents higher than one year earlier. A Labor Day record is likely, but the final holiday figure has not yet been reported.

By Roberto Zapatero
Independent Forensic Investigative Journalist, Is America Better Yet?
Living Record
Reporting checked through September 5, 2026, 8:01 a.m. EDT

At a gas station near Evergreen, Colorado, Randi O'Brien told Reuters that she could put only $15 into her truck. She said her daily round-trip commute takes about 40 minutes.

In Houston, Madison Moore told Reuters that she was cutting back a planned Labor Day trip to Galveston because routine costs were already pressing her budget.

Is America Better Yet? did not interview either woman. Their accounts are attributed to Reuters and are not a national sample. They do, however, show what higher gasoline prices can mean in an ordinary week: less money for work travel, groceries or time with family.

The national numbers show that the pressure is real.

What drivers are paying now

AAA listed the national average for regular gasoline at $4.1459 a gallon on September 5. Its comparable average one year earlier was $3.2046.

That is an increase of about 94 cents a gallon. At those national averages, a 15-gallon fill-up would cost about $62.19 now, compared with $48.07 one year earlier—a difference of about $14.12.

The federal government's weekly measure tells the same broad story, although it uses a different survey and date. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a national average of $4.071 for regular gasoline on August 31. That was 1.4 cents below the prior week but 89.4 cents above the comparable price one year earlier.

The two measures are not identical. They agree on the point that matters most to households: regular gasoline is near $4.10 nationally and costs roughly 90 cents more per gallon than it did a year ago.

Is it already a Labor Day record?

Not yet as a final holiday measurement.

AAA said on September 3 that Labor Day was on track to set a record. It identified $3.82, recorded on September 3, 2012, as the existing Labor Day high. GasBuddy separately projected an average of $4.03 for the 2026 holiday weekend.

Labor Day falls on September 7 this year. The final holiday average therefore had not been reported when this article was checked on September 5. The accurate wording is projected record or on track for a record, not a completed record.

There is another limit: these comparisons use the prices paid in each year's dollars. They do not establish that 2026 is the most expensive Labor Day after adjusting for inflation or household income.

Federal data shows tight supplies and busy refineries

The EIA's September 2 report covers the week ending August 28. It shows:

  • U.S. gasoline inventories at 205.7 million barrels, down 1.2 million barrels in one week and 5.9% from one year earlier;
  • gasoline stocks 6% below the five-year average;
  • refineries processing about 17.5 million barrels per day at 98% capacity utilization; and
  • gasoline production averaging about 9.8 million barrels per day.

Those figures show low inventories even while refineries are operating near full capacity. They do not prove price manipulation, profiteering or one exclusive cause for the increase.

The report also shows how quickly the market can move. EIA put West Texas Intermediate crude oil at $84.57 a barrel on August 28—$20.21 above the year-earlier price. AAA reported that the benchmark settled at $91.01 on September 2.

The war is part of the price story, but not the whole story

AAA linked the recent increase to crude-oil volatility around the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters also cited renewed military action between the United States and Iran, attacks on Russian refineries, low fuel inventories, high refinery use and increased U.S. fuel exports.

These are supported market explanations. No single public record reviewed by Is America Better Yet? divides the price increase precisely among the war, shipping risk, refinery margins, inventories, exports, seasonal rules and other market forces.

President Donald Trump addressed that tradeoff during an August 14 speech in Garden City, New York. The White House published the full video. At about 31 minutes into the speech, Trump said Americans were paying "a tiny little bit more" for gasoline as part of the effort to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

He then said, "You're at $4. It's OK" and "I'll never apologize. I did the right thing."

The recording confirms that Trump defended the higher cost as an acceptable policy tradeoff. It does not, by itself, prove how much of the pump-price increase the war caused or establish the outcome of Iran's nuclear program.

What the administration has tried

On August 20, the Environmental Protection Agency, after consulting the Department of Energy, issued a temporary fuel waiver that took effect September 1. It allows certain gasoline with higher vapor pressure to be sold earlier than usual and relaxes some state controls for limited periods.

EPA said the action could add hundreds of thousands of barrels per day to domestic supply and lower prices. That was the agency's projection. As of September 5, no post-waiver federal price or supply analysis reviewed for this article established how much the action had changed what drivers paid.

Reuters also reported that the government had extended a Jones Act waiver to make some fuel shipments between U.S. ports easier. Searches of public DHS, CBP, Maritime Administration and Federal Register records did not locate the waiver or extension text. That means no public record was located after checking; it does not establish that no record exists.

What is established—and what remains open

Established: National retail gasoline is above $4 a gallon. AAA and EIA both show an increase of roughly 90 cents per gallon from one year earlier. EIA confirms that gasoline inventories are lower while refinery use is high.

Attributed analysis: AAA, GasBuddy and Reuters link much of the pressure to higher crude prices and international supply risk. Their explanations are supported by market data but do not allocate each cent of the increase to a single event or decision.

Not final: The 2026 Labor Day record claim remains a forecast until the holiday price is measured. The nominal record is not an inflation-adjusted finding.

Still unknown: The measured effect of EPA's September waiver; the terms and reach of the reported Jones Act extension; how long crude and retail prices will remain elevated; and how the burden differs by region and household income.

The next records to watch

AAA and GasBuddy should provide final holiday averages after September 7. EIA's next Weekly Petroleum Status Report is scheduled for September 10 because of the federal holiday.

Those records can show whether prices and supplies changed. They will not, on their own, settle every question about causation or responsibility.

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Sources

Verification and method note

Is America Better Yet? compared two current retail-price trackers with the federal weekly price and supply report. The article distinguishes daily, weekly and projected figures; treats Reuters' interviews as attributed accounts; and does not assign the full price increase to one cause without evidence.

This is a Living Record. Final Labor Day prices, the September 10 EIA report, a located Jones Act waiver or a material source correction will be added as dated updates.

Artificial intelligence was used to assist with research organization, drafting, editing and verification. AI-generated material was not treated as evidence. Factual claims were checked against identifiable sources before publication.

Roberto Zapatero (IABY) remains responsible for the reporting, writing, sourcing, editorial judgment and final published text. AI assistance does not replace source records, human review, principal article writing or independent verification.

Copyright: © 2026 Roberto Zapatero / Is America Better Yet? All rights reserved.

If fuel costs have changed how you work, shop, provide care or travel, you may contact "Is America Better Yet?" (mailto:iaby-general-inbox.bagging303@passmail.com). Remove account numbers, exact home addresses and other unnecessary personal details before sending records. Civil, evidence-based comments are welcome.

Thank you to the readers and volunteers who help trace sources, test claims and keep this reporting useful.

Roberto Zapatero
Independent Forensic Investigative Journalist
Is America Better Yet?

I write for you,

— Roberto

"isamericabetteryet.org" (https://www.isamericabetteryet.org/)

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