The increasing expense of gasoline is significantly impacting Melissa Miles’s finances and her ability to attend classes regularly. As a full-time social work student at Eastern Michigan University, she travels daily in her 2015 Chevrolet Sonic from her home in Hillsdale, Michigan, which is located 80 miles away. With the average gas price in the state now reaching $4.80 per gallon, the 42-year-old has begun to skip some classes to save on fuel costs.
“Every day, I have to decide whether I can afford groceries for the week or if I can cover today’s essentials. Then I weigh that against whether I can miss this class,” shared Miles, a single mother responsible for caring for her five-year-old son.
She is among millions of American drivers facing steep increases in fuel prices, largely due to the ongoing conflict in Iran. As reported by AAA, the national average for gas prices surged to $4.54 per gallon on Wednesday, marking an increase of more than $1.50 since the onset of the conflict in late February.
Additionally, diesel prices have risen to $5.67, up from $3.54 a year prior, posing a risk of further driving up the costs of numerous goods transported by truck and rail.
Despite President Trump’s assertion that the U.S. is making significant strides in negotiations with Iran, economists and energy specialists anticipate that fuel prices will likely remain high for an extended period. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, forecasts that gas prices will stabilize around $3.50 per gallon by the end of 2026, which is approximately 50 cents more than prices just before the conflict began.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers informed CBS News that President Trump is dedicated to reducing fuel prices for Americans. “As the president continues to exert maximum leverage over Iran through an effective blockade to resolve this conflict, we expect to see global energy markets stabilize and gas prices return to the multi-year lows that Americans experienced before the start of Operation Epic Fury,” Rogers stated in an email.
In Sacramento, California, resident Daniel Hock voiced his dissatisfaction with the state’s soaring gas prices, which currently stand at $6.16 per gallon, the highest in the nation. “I am ultimately the one paying the price during a presidency that promised lower gas prices,” he expressed.
The 33-year-old, who works as a university admissions adviser, reported spending about $100 weekly on gas, which accounts for roughly 9% of his pre-tax income. This is money he would prefer to allocate towards paying off debt incurred during a recent four-month unemployment period.
It is evident that low-income Americans are disproportionately affected by rising fuel costs, as they allocate a larger portion of their income to gas compared to higher-income households. Data from Bank of America indicates that in March, low-income families spent 4.2% of their income on fuel, while wealthier households spent only 2.7%.
Steph Thornton, a 42-year-old single mother of two from Macomb, Michigan, highlighted how escalating fuel prices are adversely affecting individuals like her who live just above the poverty threshold. As a community health worker who uses her 2017 Ford Escape for client home visits, she estimates her monthly gas expenses have increased to about $400, up from $320 earlier in the year when prices were around $3 per gallon.
“Many of us haven’t even recovered from the pandemic,” Thornton remarked. “These challenges are coming at us one after another.”
Edited by Alain Sherter
