Drivers across the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett metro area are paying $5.60 a gallon for regular gas over Labor Day weekend.

That is a 22% jump from a year ago and 39 cents below the metro area's all-time high, according to AAA data reported by KOMO News.

Washington's statewide average hit $5.48 per gallon. That is $1.34 above the national average of $4.14, which broke the previous Labor Day record of $3.82 set Sept. 3, 2012. The national average had never topped $4 on the holiday before.

Diesel costs even more.

Washington's diesel average reached $6.81 per gallon, nearly a dollar above the national diesel average of $5.85, according to the Everett Post.

The Iran war, more than six months old, is the biggest factor. About 20% of the world's oil supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic remains restricted because of ongoing attacks, according to AAA. When the conflict began Feb. 28, the national average was $2.98 per gallon.

Regional pressures compound the increase. AAA spokeswoman Marie Dodds pointed to dwindling supplies of summer-blend gasoline and reports of possible operational issues at the Olympic Pipeline.

Washington's tax structure widens the gap with neighboring states. Drivers pay 56.5 cents per gallon in state fuel tax. The federal excise tax adds another 18.4 cents.

The Climate Commitment Act (CCA), a cap-and-invest program that began generating costs at the pump in 2023, requires petroleum refiners to buy carbon-emission allowances at state auctions. Energy analysts at the Washington Policy Center estimate those auction costs add 40 to 60 cents per gallon, according to The Center Square.

daho's average, by comparison, sits around $4.60.

The cost hits truckers hardest. Sheri Call, president and CEO of the Washington Trucking Associations, told the Everett Post that small fleets make up more than 90% of the industry and often cannot absorb prolonged cost increases.

"It's been brutal for the industry with the fuel prices, and it is especially bad for the owner-operator or small fleets," Call said.

Call said Washington-based truckers lack the option to fuel in cheaper neighboring states unless they operate near the border. She described businesses in the state as being at a competitive disadvantage compared to out-of-state carriers with access to lower prices.

The Washington Trucking Associations warned in May that state taxes and fees add $1.47 to each gallon of gasoline in Washington. That figure, attributed to the association, includes all state-level taxes and CCA costs.

A voter initiative to repeal the CCA's auction system failed in November 2024. Call said she asked the Washington Department of Commerce whether any rebate or relief program exists for small businesses facing high fuel costs. She said she received no response.