Gas Prices in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Continue to Rise

If you plan to celebrate the summer of (more) normality with a road trip, be prepared to pay more at the pump. As you've no doubt seen with each trip to Casey's or Kwik Star, gas isn't dropping, it's been steadily increasing for months now. In fact, according to a KWWL report, gas prices have risen 0.4 cents per gallon in the past week, and are averaging around $2.86 right now statewide.

Gas is a bit cheaper in some parts of Iowa

Right now gas prices appear to be the highest in Iowa City, with prices at most gas stations pushing $2.80 according to Gas Buddy. North Liberty and Coralville are also trending higher. In Cedar Rapids meanwhile, gas prices are 15 to 20 cents less averaging $2.65 according to Gas Buddy.

Gas still costs far less than it did in years past

The rising prices may have you feeling nervous, but don't worry too much: it's been far, far worse in the past decade. A separate KWWL story reflects on the past decade of gas costs in Iowa. That report shows 2011 was by far the most expensive with gas prices climbing to $3.91 a gallon.

The lowest cost was in 2020 during the peak of COVID when we were paying a mere $1.69 per gallon. Not counting the global pandemic, the cheapest was 2017 when $2.28 was the average cost of a gallon in the state of Iowa.

So... why is gas costing more?

There are several factors to why we're paying more. The recent Colonial Pipeline hack has hurt. The artic freeze in Texas last winter, the impact on the cost of crude oil, and the fact more drivers are on the roads again (demand) all play into rising costs. Throw in taxes and refining costs and that has all lead to an increase in the cost of gas at the pump.