PEORIA, Ill. — Drivers across the Peoria area are feeling a heavy hit at the pump this week as local gas prices surged by more than 40 cents per gallon.
According to GasBuddy’s weekly survey of local stations, the average price for unleaded gas in Peoria sits at $4.54 a gallon—up 40.7 cents from just last week, 26 cents higher than last month, and $1.21 higher than this time last year.
Prices across the Peoria area vary significantly depending on where you fill up, ranging on Sunday from $4.38 to a high of $4.69 a gallon. Statewide, Illinois drivers saw gas prices range from $3.75 up to $5.69 a gallon.
National Trends and Diesel Skyrocketing
The sharp spike isn’t limited to Central Illinois. The national average price of gasoline climbed 17.2 cents over the past week to $4.25 a gallon. Meanwhile, diesel prices spiked even faster, rising 31.6 cents nationwide to an average of $6.18 a gallon.
Geopolitical conflict and refinery disruptions are driving the sudden volatility.
“Average gasoline and diesel prices rose in every state over the last week as geopolitical tensions escalated on multiple fronts, with friction between the U.S. and Iran, new hostilities in the Red Sea, and the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline all combining to jolt prices sharply higher,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “New weekend attacks also knocked two additional Russian refineries offline, further straining global refined product supplies.”
De Haan warned that while refineries are transitioning to cheaper winter-blend gasoline this week, ongoing international escalations mean drivers should brace for continued volatility and unlikely price relief in the near term.
AAA Illinois Comparison
Data from AAA Illinois confirms the local pressure, reporting the Peoria/Pekin area average at $4.54 a gallon, compared to the Illinois state average of $4.48 and the national average of $4.31 a gallon.
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