(The Center Square) – Gas prices are up in Colorado one month since the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
According to AAA’s Colorado average on Thursday, the current average for regular unleaded is $3.09 a gallon.
Mid-grade comes in at $3.48, premium at $3.80 and diesel at $3.46.
Compared to a month ago on Inauguration Day, those prices are up across the board. Regular unleaded on Jan. 20 averaged $2.91 in Colorado, meaning there’s been a 6% increase in the month since.
Prices a year ago were also about 6% lower than current gas prices in the state.
Still, Colorado’s prices are still lower than the national average of $3.17. National prices have been steadily increasing over the past few weeks, a trend that GasBuddy reported on.
“While most of the country has experienced a relatively quiet week for gas prices, the West Coast has seen rapid increases — a trend that should slow in the coming days,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
De Haan predicted prices could rise again as summer approaches, though.
“Although the surge remains isolated to the West for now, refinery maintenance will soon begin in other regions, and with the transition to summer gasoline blends underway, prices in most areas are likely to start rising in the weeks ahead,” he said.
There are a few additional external factors that could also impact gas prices, both nationally and in Colorado.
De Haan highlighted the impact of international affairs, especially on oil prices.
“Oil prices remain subdued in the low $70s as President Trump works on a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine — an event that, if realized, could have significant implications for oil markets in the months ahead.”
Colorado Democrats have also been concerned about the impact that any potential Trump-imposed tariffs might have on gas prices.
“Trump’s tariffs are going to raise gas prices in Colorado,” said U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado. “We should be fighting to make energy costs lower for families, not higher.”
So far though, those threats of tariffs seem to have had minimal impacts on gas, or other, prices in Colorado.
Though not directly impacting gas prices in Colorado yet, the threat of tariff wars does seem to be having an impact on overall consumer sentiment.
The national Survey of Consumers, conducted by the University of Michigan, found that consumer sentiment in February fell for the second straight month, dropping about 5% to reach its lowest reading since July 2024.
Year-ahead inflation expectations also jumped up from 3.3% in January to 4.3% this month, signaling “a perception that it may be too late to avoid the negative impact of tariff policy” and that “many consumers appear worried that high inflation will return within the next year.”