{"id":46141,"date":"2026-04-09T23:06:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T23:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=46141"},"modified":"2026-04-09T23:06:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T23:06:06","slug":"fuel-prices-are-skyrocketing-but-most-of-the-money-isnt-going-to-gas-stations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=46141","title":{"rendered":"Fuel Prices Are Skyrocketing, But Most Of The Money Isn’t Going To Gas Stations"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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Gas prices have skyrocketed across the United States in 2026, with prices the highest they’ve been since 2022. As of early April, the average price for a gallon is $4, a rise primarily\u00a0fueled by the Iran war<\/a>.\u00a0As a result, gas prices have changed daily \u2014 and sometimes multiple times a day \u2014 and drivers are starting to seethe while at the pump. But gas stations haven’t actually benefited from these ballooning gas prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Patrick De Haan, Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, gas stations don’t make more money when prices rise \u2014 in fact, it’s the opposite. Speaking to AP News<\/a>, De Haan said that “The margins shrink when prices go up because it’s harder for [gas stations] to pass along the increases as quickly as they themselves get them.” The profits, then, are going to the companies that extract and refine crude oil, not the retailers you buy your gas from.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Why do gas stations all have different prices if they don’t benefit?<\/h2>\n
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\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Chuyn\/Getty Images<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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If gas stations aren’t profiting from the increased gas prices, why do gas stations have different prices<\/a>? There are actually a lot of factors that go into setting the price of a gallon, largely based on location and taxes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The biggest factor is geography. For one, gas prices can change from state to state due to taxes. For example, California’s gas taxes and fees totaled about 71 cents per gallon last year \u2014 for the gas stations to make a profit, they have to raise the prices to offset these taxes. On the other side of the coin, some states have (or are close to) oil refineries, which makes for shorter delivery distances and lower prices.<\/p>\n