Why Gas Is $4.48 a Gallon, Slice by Slice

Описание: Regular gasoline averaged $4.48 a gallon in September 2026, per BLS. We split the gallon into crude, refining, distribution and taxes using EIA's breakdown, then show which slice grew fastest and what forecasters expect next.

CHAPTERS
0:00 setup
0:54 history
1:42 receipt
3:12 drivers
4:50 household
5:20 swaps
5:41 outlook

The numbers: $4.48 per USD per gallon (September 2026), up 34% from a year earlier.

SOURCES
Average Price: Gasoline, Unleaded Regular (APU000074714) - FRED / BLS: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AP...
Gas Prices - Bls.gov (APU000074714): https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/APU00...
Consumer Price Index Summary - 2026 M09 Results (BLS): https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi....
September CPI report shows inflation accelerated to 3.7% as energy costs soared - CBS News: https://cbsnews.com/news/september-cp...
AAA Fuel Prices: https://gasprices.aaa.com/
Gas prices above $4 a gallon for 166 days - ABC Columbia (CNN): https://www.abccolumbia.com/2026/10/1...
Gas prices set record for highest number of days above $4 a gallon in a calendar year (ABC News): https://www.myfmtoday.com/business/ga...
A timeline of how the Iran war shook oil prices - CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/21/oil-p...
Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update - EIA: https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/
How Gasoline Prices Are Determined - American Petroleum Institute (citing EIA): https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-i...
Why Are Gas Prices So High? What Sets the Pump Price - World Oil Monitor: https://worldoilmonitor.com/why-are-g...
US Refiners Post Record Profits as Gasoline, Diesel Margins Hit All-Time Highs - Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...
Motor Fuel Prices - September 2026 (BTS): https://www.bts.gov/newsroom/motor-fu...
October 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook - EIA: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/pdf...
Suspension of the Federal Gas Tax: In Brief (CRS, May 15, 2026): https://www.congress.gov/crs_external...
Energy adds fuel to a well-kindled fire - KPMG (Sept 2026 CPI): https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2026/...
Here's How Much Gasoline the Average American Consumes Annually - Motley Fool: https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/0...
Refining Stocks Soar As Crack Spread Hits Record High In 2026 - Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/garthfri...

For information and entertainment only - not financial advice. Prices vary by region and store. Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED, plus the sources listed.
Produced with AI-assisted research, narration and graphics from the cited public data; every episode is reviewed by a human before publishing.