US Gasoline Prices Rise 2.07% to $3.855, Ending 12-Week Low

This article updates a previous Saigon Sentinel report on the national average gasoline price data series, which had recorded a 12-week low of $3.777 per gallon in the week of 6/7/2026. According to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (published via FRED), the national average gasoline price rebounded in the week of 13/7/2026, reaching $3.855 per gallon — an increase of $0.08, equivalent to 2.07%, compared to the previous week. This signals that the prolonged price decline of recent weeks has paused, and the current trend is recorded as "rising" with two consecutive weeks moving upward.

National average gasoline price (weekly)

The level of $3.855 per gallon remains 7.33% below the average of the recent timeframe ($4.16 per gallon), and is still quite far from the high of $4.5 per gallon — a level recorded in the weeks of 11/5 and 18/5/2026. However, when viewed over a longer historical span of 56 weeks (from 23/6/2025 to present), the current price sits at the 75th percentile (hist_percentile 75) — meaning gasoline prices now remain higher than approximately three-quarters of all recorded weeks, despite having fallen significantly from the peak of $4.5 per gallon and not too far above the historical low of $2.78 per gallon.

Compared to exactly one year ago, specifically the week of 14/7/2025, when the price was only $3.13 per gallon, current gasoline prices are now 23.16% higher. This is the most noteworthy figure for Vietnamese Americans calculating travel costs, rideshare expenses, or small-scale freight transportation — because it shows that although prices have dropped from the spring peak, fuel costs remain significantly heavier than a year ago.

One point for comparison: the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for June 2026 reached 333.952 points, up 3.53% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, gasoline prices have risen 23.16% compared to last year — a rate of increase nearly seven times the overall inflation rate. The dataset does not include explanatory notes about the mechanism behind this gap, so only the difference between the two figures can be noted without further speculation about the underlying causes.

For remittance senders or those calculating household budgets tied to regular driving, the most practical takeaway from this week's data is: gasoline prices have risen again after hitting a 12-week low of $3.777 per gallon, and the current level of $3.855 per gallon remains 23.16% higher than the $3.13 per gallon from a year ago — meaning that despite the feeling that "gas is getting cheaper," the actual cost of each fill-up is still considerably heavier than it was at this time last year.

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (FRED) ↗ · Chart and analysis by Saigon Sentinel