D.C.-area drivers pay $1.11 more a gallon for midgrade gas than a year ago

Fall is supposed to be the season when gas gets cheaper. In greater Washington this year, it went the other way.

Midgrade gasoline averaged $4.84 a gallon across the Washington area in September 2026, according to monthly retail price data. That was up from $4.67 in August, a climb at the time of year when gas prices typically fall (gasprices.aaa.com).

The jump from last fall is steeper. A gallon of midgrade cost $3.73 in September 2025, so drivers paid $1.11 more per gallon this September, an increase of 29.8%.

Among the Septembers from 2019 through 2026, this one ranks first, the most expensive of the stretch.

The region isn't alone. AAA reported that the national average has stayed elevated since late July and sits well above where it was at this point last year (gasprices.aaa.com).

Higher than any recent September

Area drivers have seen a September price spike before. In September 2022, midgrade averaged $4.23 a gallon, up 18.4% from a year earlier. September prices then held high for a year before easing, as the averages show:

• September 2019: $3.04
• September 2021: $3.57
• September 2022: $4.23
• September 2023: $4.25
• September 2024: $3.83
• September 2025: $3.73
• September 2026: $4.84

That slide is gone. This September's price is 14.2% above the September 2022 level and 35.3% above September 2021.

The longer view is starker. Since September 2019, the September price has risen 59%.

Year to year, the September price has risen in some years and fallen in others, and this year's swing was firmly upward.

Crude oil keeps the pressure on

AAA said the fall months typically bring lower gas prices, but volatility in the oil market has produced seasonal record highs this year (gasprices.aaa.com). Pump prices aren't budging much as crude oil prices remain high, the group said (gasprices.aaa.com).

Supplies are tighter, too. U.S. crude oil inventories fell and now sit below their longer-term average, AAA said (gasprices.aaa.com).

What it costs at the pump

For a household that drives, the math is simple. Every gallon of midgrade bought this September cost $1.11 more than a gallon bought last September, and that difference repeats at every fill-up.

With AAA saying prices aren't budging as long as crude stays high (gasprices.aaa.com), this fall's usual relief at the pump has yet to arrive.

About the data

We used monthly average retail prices for midgrade gasoline in the Washington metropolitan area through September 2026. We compared the September 2026 average with each available September back to 2019 and with August 2026, calculating dollar and percent changes between them.

• The figures are area-wide averages and do not show differences between the District, the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia, or between individual stations.
• Comparing only September prices leaves out peaks and dips in other months, including higher prices earlier in 2022, and recent figures may be revised.
• The price data measures changes at the pump on its own; explanations for those changes come from AAA's market reports.

Midgrade gasoline: the middle octane grade sold at the pump, priced between regular and premium.

Sources

• Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED): Average Price: Gasoline, Unleaded Midgrade (Cost per Gallon/3.785 Liters) in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (CBSA), latest period September 2026, released Oct. 14, 2026; retrieved Oct. 18, 2026. Data