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Sh*t Costs Too Much: Labor Day Gas Prices

Labor Day travelers face the highest holiday gas prices ever recorded — drivers have paid $42 billion more since the war with Iran began, and the administration says it’s in no hurry to end it.

Fact sheet · Labor Day 2026
Fact Sheet

Sh*t Costs Too Much.

Fact sheet · Labor Day 2026

The topline

$3.83+

Labor Day gas — on track for the highest ever, topping the 2012 record

$42B

Extra fuel costs since the war with Iran began — about $614 per household

74%

Of Americans say gas prices have caused their household financial hardship

For millions of families, making ends meet has gone from hard to impossible. Americans are paying more for everything these days — especially at the gas pump. Six months into the war with Iran, Labor Day travelers face the highest holiday gas prices ever recorded, and the administration says it is in no hurry to end the war that caused them.

Key points

  • Drivers are on track for the highest Labor Day gas prices ever recorded, eclipsing the 2012 record of $3.83 per gallon.
  • This is also shaping up to be the most expensive August at the pump on record, with regular gas running nearly $1.00 more per gallon than it did a year ago.
  • American drivers have paid over $42 billion more for fuel since the war began, an average of $614 per household, on pace for $1,109 by the year’s end.
  • Gas and diesel both increased 60% on average between January and May. Diesel sits within 25 cents of its all-time record high, driving up the cost of hauling groceries, farm goods, and freight.
  • Americans are more worried about energy costs than at any point in nearly two decades.
  • 74% of Americans say gas prices have caused their household financial hardship, and fewer than one in four think the president has a plan.
  • 83% of Americans expect the war to drag on, and 56% are very concerned about gas prices, up from 34% in January.

Core drivers

War with Iran curbs supply, spiking oil and gas costs for everyone

At the end of February, the U.S. launched strikes against Iran, sparking a war that has shuttered a critical seaway used for transporting Middle Eastern oil around the world. The conflict closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supplies passes, sending prices through the roof for gasoline, diesel, and more.

Six months in, the war with Iran has no end date

The U.S. launched strikes against Iran on February 28, starting a war it predicted would be over in four to six weeks. Six months later, Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz, and June’s 60-day agreement has expired with talks at a standstill. Asked last week how long Iran had to return to the table, the president answered that he has no schedule at all.

The administration was warned before it fired a shot

Intelligence and military leaders told the president that Iran would answer strikes by closing the Strait of Hormuz and throwing oil markets into chaos. He attacked anyway, and those warnings have come true at the pump.

Every figure here is sourced and linked to public reporting, government data, and independent analysis.

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