A Race to the Bottom: Washington and California Compete for the Highest Gas Prices in America

It is not a ranking any state wants to claim. Last week, Washington briefly held the unwanted title of the highest gas prices in the nation, only to be overtaken by California days later. On September 19, 2025, at 11:37 a.m., the average price for a gallon of gas in California was $4.656 compared to $4.637 in Washington. For working and middle-class families, this is a gut punch to already strained household budgets.

The reasons are clear. Washington enacted the Climate Commitment Act in 2021, becoming the second state in the nation with a cap-and-trade program. The costs of that policy are being passed directly to residents.

California tells a similar story. For decades, Sacramento has pushed policies that reduce oil production and accelerate a rapid transition away from fossil fuels. The result has been a steep decline in in-state oil output, refinery closures, and greater dependence on imported oil. California families now pay about $1.45 more per gallon than the national average.

What we see now is a race to the bottom. Washington and California are competing not for opportunity or innovation, but for who can impose the heaviest financial burden on their residents in the name of climate policy.

The impact reaches every corner of the economy. Families feel it when they drive to work, shop for groceries, or pay utility bills. Small businesses face rising costs that cut into margins and put jobs at risk.

Working and middle-class families have become collateral damage in a political experiment that prioritizes ideology over affordability.