From AAA Northeast, March 23, 2026
Northeast pump prices keep surging as the war with Iran nears its fourth week and oil prices remain under major pressure as global supply worries dominate petroleum markets.
At the close of markets on Friday, crude oil prices settled near or above $100 a barrel — more than $30 a barrel higher than on Feb. 27 before the start of the conflict. Domestic West Texas Intermediate (WTI) settled at $98 and Brent crude — the benchmark made up of mostly Middle Eastern-produced oil — landed at $112. That’s an increase of 8.7% week-over-week for Brent and its highest closing price since 2022.
Oil prices remain elevated despite announcements of huge releases from strategic petroleum reserves around the world and the U.S. lifting sanctions on millions of barrels of Russian oil stored on tankers at sea around the world. Those measures have eased some pressure on prices, but markets remain concerned about the long-term impacts of the war on oil and gas production in the Middle East and the lack of cargo traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz passageway.
As supply from the Middle East slows to a trickle, countries around the world are increasingly looking to the U.S. to meet supply needs. Total U.S. crude exports last week climbed by 1.45 million barrels a day to 4.89 million barrels a day, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), with much of the extra crude exports bound for Asia.
As the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded nears $4, demand for gasoline settled at 8.7 million barrels a day last week — a decline of 513,000 barrels a day, the EIA reported. The figure is considered strong for this time of year and only 89,000 barrels a day below the comparable week in 2025, but is likely elevated by fuel suppliers increasing their purchases to get ahead of surging prices since the start of the war.
“As the conflict with Iran continues, gas prices are likely to remain under pressure as long as oil prices stay elevated,” said Lauren Fabrizi, spokesperson for AAA Northeast. “Prices at the pump across the Northeast haven’t been this high since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent oil and gas markets into similar turmoil.”
AAA Northeast’s March 23 survey of fuel prices found the average price for a gallon of regular in Connecticut is up 24¢ from last week ($3.64), averaging $3.88. Today’s price is 98¢ higher than a month ago ($2.90) and 88¢ higher than this day last year ($3.00).
The current national average is up 24¢ from last week ($3.71), averaging $3.95 per gallon. Today’s price is $1.02 higher than a month ago ($2.93) and 83 cents higher than this day last year ($3.12).
Today, Oklahoma and Kansas have the lowest prices in the nation at $3.25 and $3.26, respectively. California and Washington hold the highest prices in the nation this week at $5.79 and $5.27, respectively. Connecticut holds the 17th place on the list of highest gas prices in the nation.
The AAA Gas Prices website is your resource for up-to-date fuel price information. Search average gas prices by Regular, Plus, Premium and Diesel on National and State levels, as well as Metro areas.
AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than 6.8 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.