Higher gas prices have cost the average American household an extra $477 since the war with Iran began Feb. 28, adding up to more than $56.4 billion in extra spending nationwide, according to an analysis by Democrats in Congress.
The Democratic staff on the Joint Economic Committee said the increase reflects higher gas prices is due to disruptions and uncertainty surrounding the conflict. It based its estimates on daily state gasoline prices from AAA, state gasoline-consumption data from the Federal Highway Administration and national demand figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The national average price for regular gasoline was $3.87 a gallon when the report was released July 13, about 30 percent higher than before the war began, according to the committee, citing AAA data.
Gas has again topped $4 a gallon in many states as the conflict widens. The national average for a gallon of regular gas was $4.09 a gallon Thursday, compared with $3.94 a week ago and $3.16 a year ago.
The estimated added cost varied sharply by state.
Alabama households were hit hardest, paying an average of $686 more, followed by Utah at $650, Mississippi at $639 and Wyoming at $624.
At the other end of the ranking, the smallest household increases were in the District of Columbia at $215, Washington at $342, Oregon at $346, Hawaii at $356 and Rhode Island at $368.
In raw dollars, Texas recorded the largest increase in gasoline spending at about $5.74 billion, followed by California at $5.45 billion and Florida at $3.89 billion.
The state-by-state estimates underscore how changes in fuel prices can ripple differently across the country, especially in places where people drive longer distances or consume more gasoline overall.
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