According to AAA, the U.S. national average for regular unleaded was about $4.14 per gallon heading into Labor Day weekend 2026 (about $4.14 as of September 3). That would make this the most expensive Labor Day at the pump on record — the previous Labor Day high was $3.82 on September 3, 2012.
AAA said continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz has helped push crude oil into the roughly $90-per-barrel range, keeping pump prices elevated even as seasonal gasoline demand usually eases.
Source: AAA Newsroom — Labor Day On Track to Set Record at the Pump