Iowa drivers will pay an average of $3.04 per gallon of regular gasoline this month versus $2.19 last year. This is a 38.6 percent increase equaling $0.85 per gallon.
Of the nine Iowa metropolitan areas analyzed, drivers in Sioux City (IA only) faced the largest price hike at the pump in the last year of $49.81. Cedar Rapids was spared the worst pain, with the price of gas rising $38.28 from January 2021 to January 2022.
In remarks given on Dec. 16, 2021, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) blasted President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrat’s “Build Back Better” tax and spending plan.
“Right now our parents and families in Iowa and across the country are facing higher prices. Everything from gasoline to groceries, they are seeing the highest inflation in a generation,” Ernst said at the press conference. “Families are struggling.”
In October, U.S. Sen Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told the Hawkeye Reporter that inflation under President Joe Biden’s administration has hurt Iowans.
“The last thing we need to do is saddle more taxes and more debt on the American people with President Biden’s and the Democrats’ next massive, multi-trillion dollar expansion of the federal government,” Ernst told the Hawkeye Reporter. “Iowans are feeling the impact on their wallets from skyrocketing inflation, and our small businesses across the state are still struggling to rebuild from the pandemic.”
Gas prices across the US hit a seven-year high following a significant drop at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The price of gas, derived from the cost of oil manufactured around the world, has the power to substantially change the free market and influence many industries.
A short-term outlook report from the US Energy Information Administration predicted gas rates will fall throughout 2022.
Iowa drivers average 1,228.8 miles and use 50.8 gallons of gasoline per month, according to the FHA.
| Market | 2022 | 2021 | CHG | % | Total increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux City (IA only) | $3.07 | $2.09 | $0.98 | 46.9% | $49.81 |
| Council Bluffs | $3.02 | $2.06 | $0.96 | 46.6% | $48.79 |
| Ames | $3.10 | $2.19 | $0.91 | 41.3% | $46 |
| Dubuque | $3.12 | $2.24 | $0.88 | 39.1% | $44.43 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (IA only) | $2.97 | $2.10 | $0.87 | 41.4% | $44.17 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls | $3 | $2.20 | $0.80 | 36.3% | $40.57 |
| Des Moines | $3.07 | $2.28 | $0.79 | 34.7% | $40.06 |
| Iowa City | $3.05 | $2.29 | $0.76 | 33.3% | $38.69 |
| Cedar Rapids | $3.01 | $2.26 | $0.75 | 33.4% | $38.28 |
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