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Straits

Gas prices

What the strait costs at the pump.

US regular-grade gasoline averages, refreshed hourly. Pump prices typically lag Brent crude moves by one to two weeks: long enough to see the move forming, short enough that a sustained Hormuz disruption shows up at consumers before any national policy response.

Average of state prices · live

$4.10

regular grade · /gallon · 50 states + DC

straits.live average of AAA state data, not AAA’s own national figure

Brent today

$88.52/bbl

Based on recent pass-through behavior, every $10 move in Brent translates to roughly $0.24 per gallon at the US pump over one to two weeks. The pass-through is asymmetric: increases tend to arrive faster than decreases, a phenomenon refiners and retailers know as "rockets and feathers."

If Hormuz fully closes

A full closure puts US gas near $4.68 a gallon.

$4.68/gallon

Range $4.42$4.95, depending on the size of the crude spike.

Scenario, not a forecast

  • Today's national average$4.10
  • Added at the pump (mid case)+$0.58 /gal
  • Assumed Brent spike15–40%
  • Brent today$88.52 /bbl
  • Pass-through rule$0.024 /gal per $1/bbl

We take today’s national average and add the pump pass-through of a 15–40% Brent spike, the range a credible sustained closure has produced in the first week. Actual prices depend on how long a closure holds, SPR releases, and refinery runs. The pass-through is asymmetric: increases arrive faster than decreases.

Highest five states

  • California$5.58$-0.02 7d
  • Hawaii$5.44$-0.02 7d
  • Washington$5.18+$0.05 7d
  • Alaska$4.82+$0.05 7d
  • Nevada$4.77+$0.01 7d

Lowest five states

  • Louisiana$3.58$-0.01 7d
  • Indiana$3.61+$0.11 7d
  • Alabama$3.61$-0.03 7d
  • Mississippi$3.62+$0.02 7d
  • South Carolina$3.65+$0.09 7d

How a Hormuz closure reaches the pump

Three steps, two to four weeks.

01

Crude shock at the global benchmark.

Brent is the world price. Historical precedent suggests a credible Hormuz closure typically produces a 15–40% Brent spike within the first week, regardless of the buyer's geography. Even the United States (functionally self-sufficient on crude) prices its products against Brent.

02

Refining and freight tighten.

Cape-route freight rates spike because tanker supply is fixed. Bunker fuel rises. Refining margins compress on Hormuz-specific grades. US Gulf Coast refiners configured for medium-sour crude switch to substitutes at operational cost.

03

Pump prices move.

Pass-through to retail gasoline lands within two to four weeks. The asymmetry (faster up than down) is well documented. SPR drawdowns can blunt the upside, but a sustained closure exceeds the SPR's daily release capacity within weeks.