Gas Prices Climb As 60 Million People Hit The Road For July 4 Holiday

The Fourth of July is right around the corner and that means millions of Americans will be hitting the road. When they do, they can expect to see higher prices at the pump.

According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.491. That’s up roughly five cents from a week ago, but prices are still lower than last year when regular unleaded averaged $3.538 per gallon.

More: US Govt Releasing 42 Million Gallons Of Gas To Lower Prices At The Pump

Prices vary by location and California residents are paying an average of $4.794 per gallon. That puts them slightly ahead of Hawaii ($4.696) and Washington ($4.316). On the flip side, the states with the cheapest gas are Mississippi ($2.937), Louisiana ($3.005), and Arkansas ($3.053).

Getting back to the holiday, 70.9 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles (80 km) from home. This means it’s expected to be one of the busiest Fourth of July holidays ever and should easily top the 67.4 million people that traveled last year.

AAA

A record 60.6 million people are expected to travel by car and that would be an increase of 2.8 million compared to 2023. Unsurprisingly, some of the worst days to travel will be July 3 and July 7. If you have to travel on these days, your best bet would be to leave very early or very late to avoid the 2-8 PM rush.

If you’re trying to avoid traffic by heading to the airport, you’ll have plenty of company as a record 5.74 million people are expected to fly over the holiday. That’s roughly 7% more than last year and a 12% increase from 2019.

As for where people are going, AAA says some of the most popular destinations are in Florida and include Orlando, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale. Other hotspots include Honolulu, New York, and Anchorage due to the popularity of cruises.