AAA: U.S. gas average $4.53 May 15

AAA said the U.S. national average price for regular gasoline was $4.528 per gallon on May 15, according to its daily fuel-price tracker. The reading came 10 days before Memorial Day, which falls on Monday, May 25, and as the travel group projected heavy holiday road traffic. AAA said 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day period from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25. The group’s fuel-price commentary on May 14 said drivers were heading into the holiday stretch facing the highest Memorial Day gas prices in four years. ### How high was the national average on May 15? AAA’s gas-price site listed the national average for regular gasoline at $4.528 on May 15, which rounds to $4.53 a gallon. On May 16, the same tracker showed the national average at $4.517, indicating a slight day-to-day decline. AAA says its averages are based on data from about 130,000 gas stations nationwide. (gasprices.aaa.com) ### What did AAA say about Memorial Day travel? AAA said on May 11 that 45 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles from home during the Memorial Day holiday period. The forecast covers trips between May 21 and May 25 and is slightly above the 44.8 million travelers AAA estimated for the same holiday in 2025. AAA’s release did not limit that figure to drivers; it covers overall holiday travel. (gasprices.aaa.com) ### Are drivers seeing the same prices everywhere? California posted the highest statewide average for regular gasoline at $6.140 a gallon on May 15, according to AAA’s state averages. Washington was next at $5.774, while Hawaii was at $5.637 and Illinois at $5.071. Texas was among the lowest at $3.996 on May 15, and the May 16 update showed Texas at $3.982. (newsroom.aaa.com) New Jersey averaged $4.508 on May 15 and New York averaged $4.608, according to AAA’s state table. Florida was lower at $4.246, while Michigan was higher at $4.858. Those state-level figures help explain why local reports of pump prices can differ sharply from the national average. ### Why are prices still elevated heading into the holiday? (gasprices.aaa.com) AAA said on May 14 that the national average had dipped and then risen again, leaving prices in roughly the same range seen in 2022, when U.S. gasoline prices reached record highs. The group said drivers were preparing to hit the road in record numbers next week and would face the highest Memorial Day gas prices in four years. (gasprices.aaa.com) AAA said earlier, on April 2, that the national average had moved above $4 a gallon for the first time since August 2022. In that release, AAA linked the increase to surging crude oil prices that had topped $100 a barrel amid conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. (gasprices.aaa.com) ### What should travelers watch in the next few days? May 21 is the start date for AAA’s Memorial Day travel window, and the organization updates its national and state gas-price averages daily on GasPrices.AAA.com. AAA’s May 14 fuel-price note listed that day’s national average at $4.534, compared with $4.558 a week earlier and $4.118 a month earlier. Those daily updates will show whether pump prices ease further before the holiday weekend begins. (gasprices.aaa.com 1) (gasprices.aaa.com 2)