PHOENIX — The average cost of gas in Arizona has gone up 70 cents within the past month. The Phoenix average reached $5 a gallon Thursday morning, that's higher than the average cost per gallon in Los Angeles, California.
"The problem is that the Phoenix population has exploded in the last 5 or 10 years and that pipeline is simply not enough to meet demand," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
De Haan says demand increases in the summer months and that is made even more complex by having several different blends of gasoline mandated across Arizona. On top of that, he says there are several refineries in El Paso and New Mexico that supply gas to Phoenix currently undergoing maintenance.
Even though Phoenix has seen a sharp increase this month, the city is no stranger to $5 gas.
According to AAA, the highest recorded average was back in June of 2022 when the Phoenix area hit $5.69 a gallon.
"It probably will get worse before it gets better, but it's hard to know how high it will go because right now," De Haan said. "The market is searching for a point where consumption goes down and as economics work, prices will keep going up until we see a point where we start to see demand going down."
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