Gulf Coast Gas Was 98 Cents in 1998. Louisianans See Nearly $4 Now

Filling up for a drive on the Gulf Coast feels like a record. It isn’t.

Louisianans paid more in 2022.

Here’s how Gulf Coast gas went from 98 cents in 1998 to nearly $4 now, and what that means for Louisianans.

Note: This is general information, not financial advice. Gas prices and averages are subject to change.

Where the Number Comes From

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says regular gas averaged $0.984 a gallon across the Gulf Coast region in 1998.

The Gulf Coast series begins in 1993.

And 1998 is the only year in it with an average under $1.

That region covers six states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas.

So the number is a regional average, not a Louisiana-only price. A pump in Baton Rouge or Shreveport could differ.

Monthly averages started 1998 at $1.070 and ended it at $0.901. Eight of the twelve months came in under $1.

By February 1999, the monthly average had fallen to $0.885, which is under 89 cents.

Gas was cheap then.

The Climb Since January

Gulf Coast gas averaged $2.400 a gallon in January 2026.

February came in at $2.484.

Then March rose 79 cents to $3.272.

May’s $3.949 is the highest monthly average of 2026 through September.

September came in at $3.858.

Say you filled up in January and again in September. The regional average rose $1.458 a gallon in between.

That adds up fast.

The weekly reading for October 5 was $3.911. That’s $2.927 above the 1998 annual average.

A newer weekly reading may have replaced that $3.911 by the time you read this.

At the 1998 average, a dollar bought a little more than a gallon.

At the October 5 reading, it buys about a quart.

Earlier Price Spikes

Gulf Coast gas has been pricier than this before.

The annual average reached $3.134 in 2008 and $3.517 in 2022.

The 2022 figure is the highest annual average in the Gulf Coast series, which begins in 1993.

The monthly average hit $4.574 in June 2022. That’s about 63 cents above May 2026’s $3.949.

If you filled up in June or July 2022, you saw a higher regional average than in any month of 2026 through September.

Prices fell back after both of those spikes.

The annual average fell to $2.224 in 2009.

If you commuted by car, you paid about 91 cents less per gallon than in 2008.

After 2022, it fell to $3.091 in 2023, $2.886 in 2024 and $2.677 in 2025.

Still, 2026 is running well above 2025. Every month from March through September 2026 stayed above $3.27.

In 2025, the highest monthly average was $2.747, in June.

Adjusted for Inflation

Gas has gone up faster than prices overall since 1998.

Here’s the check.

The consumer price index (CPI) tracks prices overall.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data in a Minneapolis Fed table show it averaged 163.0 in 1998 and 321.9 in 2025.

That’s a rise of about 97%.

Gulf Coast gas rose about 172% over the same stretch, from $0.984 in 1998 to $2.677 in 2025.

So gas rose much faster than prices overall.

To compare fairly, you have to move 1998’s 98 cents into 2025 dollars.

Do that, and the 1998 average of $0.984 comes to about $1.94.

That’s the fair starting line.

Against that $1.94, the Gulf Coast’s 2025 average of $2.677 was about 38% higher.

The October 5, 2026 reading of $3.911 is roughly double it.

The $1.94 figure stops at 2025, so it leaves out any 2026 inflation.

Against the National Average

Gulf Coast gas sold below the U.S. average in each of EIA's three weekly readings ending October 5.

So if you filled up there, you paid less.

On September 21, the Gulf Coast was at $3.972 and the nation at $4.478.

That's 51 cents apart.

By September 28, the gap was 54 cents.

On October 5, the Gulf Coast was at $3.911 against $4.354 nationally, a gap of 44 cents.

So the gap narrowed.

In the year to October 5, the U.S. average increased $1.230, while the Gulf Coast average increased $1.192.

If you fill 15 gallons, that 44-cent gap leaves your total about $6.65 lower.

Gulf Coast Gas Six Years Apart

Gulf Coast gas cost far less in the spring of 2020 than it does now.

The monthly average fell to $1.532 in May 2020, the lowest of that year.

Only April 2020 came close, at $1.572.

May 2026 came in at $3.949. That's $2.417 more, or about 2.6 times as much.

Both are May readings, so the comparison covers the same time of year.

Same month, bigger bill.