As Washington drivers are once again digging deeper into their wallets at the pump, now paying nearly 46% more per gallon than the rest of the country, Democrats and local media are attempting to put the onus on President Trump for attacking Iran, but ignoring that gas prices were on the rise long before the US and Israel bombed the terrorist state.
According to the latest data from AAA, as of March 2, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Washington is $4.369, a staggering $1.372 higher than the national average. That ranks Washington as the third most expensive state in the nation for fuel.
DEMS ARE TRYING TO BLAME WA'S HIGH GAS PRICES ON PRESIDENT TRUMP ATTACKING IRAN
The Climate Commitment Act spiked prices & California's onerous restrictions are closing refineries. Now, WA has to compete with CA & OR for gas, but sure, let's blame Trump taking out the Ayatollah pic.twitter.com/eB3DrwGEV7
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) March 3, 2026
In the greater Seattle area, prices are even steeper. Drivers are paying an average of $4.585 per gallon, roughly 53% higher than the national average.
And the increases are accelerating. Gas prices in Washington have jumped nearly 43 cents in just the past month, and are up 23 cents compared to this time last year, even as many other states are seeing relative stability.
From #1 to #3 — But Still Among the Worst
In September 2025, Washington briefly stood alone as the state with the highest average gas price in America, surpassing both California and Hawaii.
Today, Washington ranks third, behind:
- California – $4.657 per gallon
- Hawaii – $4.385 per gallon
At $4.369, Washington is now just pennies behind Hawaii and remains firmly in the top tier of the nation’s most expensive fuel markets.
AAA has also released updated county-by-county data showing significant variation across the state, highlighting the most and least expensive places to fill up — but even Washington’s lowest-priced counties remain well above the national average.
Why Washington Remains an Outlier
While the national average hovers closer to the $3 mark, Washington continues to operate in a different pricing tier.
Critics continue to point to the state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA) — the cap-and-trade program implemented in 2023 — as a major driver of elevated fuel costs. The law requires fuel suppliers and other emitters to purchase carbon allowances at state-run auctions, costs that are widely believed to be passed along to consumers.
Internal documents from then- Governor Jay Inslee’s earlier carbon task force showed state officials understood that pricing carbon would increase gasoline costs by dozens of cents per gallon — despite public assurances at the time that the impact would amount to only “pennies.”
Two years into the program, Washington remains one of only a handful of states where gas prices consistently rival — and sometimes exceed — those in California.
The Bottom Line
As concerns that the war in the Middle East could spike gas prices nationally, Washington will still be paying some of the highest prices at the pump, not because of a war thousands of miles away, but due to policies of Washington Democrats in Olympia.
