During his State of the Union address, President Trump said he saw gas in Iowa at $1.85, and gas in most states across the nation around $2.30 a gallon. But those are not prices Nevadans are seeing.Â
According to AAA, the current average price per gallon of regular fuel in Washoe County is $4.26. The overall average for Nevada is $3.70. The national average is $2.97, with the lowest reported price in the U.S. at $2.40.
Locals say rising prices are forcing them to change their driving habits, and they try to stretch what they pay for at the pump for as long as possible.
"Anytime you have to put in more than a few gallons, it's going to give you pause when you have to dig deeper into your pocket," said Fernley native Sam Simpson. "I drive slower or try to keep traffic in mind. I try to, anyway, in the summertime, go at night so you don't have to run AC as much, things like that."
John Treanor, a spokesperson for AAA says those prices are high for a number of reasons, "There's the price of crude oil, there's refinery costs, there's our refineries going through maintenance, there's whether there's demand or supply. All of that affects us."
Factors that impact gas prices include local taxes, gas refinery standards, and time of year and type of blend.
Treanor does note that for consumers, it's hard to take all of those factors into account, "When you go to a pump, all you really worry about is what the cost is, how much you pay to fill that tank. So much else goes into this and I think people need to put perspective on it."
