Gas prices in the state of Missouri have always been one of the lowest, if not the absolute lowest in the country.  We have never seen $5 gas prices in this state.  Unfortunately that may be changing this summer.

Gas prices are continuing to rise, despite the fact that oil prices have gone down.   The oil companies are raking in record profits. The national average topped $4.80 per gallon this week, which is double the price of gas when Biden took office. A gallon of regular gas at the time was on average $2.38 per gallon in January 2021. Presidents have never been the cause of this.  Republican or Democrat.

I recently took a walk from my home to the station to see how long it would take me.  About 20 minutes.  If I am being honest, I suspect many of us have decided to not go to certain places because they don't want to drive.  I want to support some of my friends involved in productions in Jefferson City and Columbia, but when you figure in the cost of gas and ticket prices, I have to decide if it is worth it.

Gas prices have jumped about 60 cents in the past month.  There are now 10 states where the average price of gasoline is $5 a gallon or higher, with the latest being Michigan and Indiana. Washington, DC, is also above $5.  I saw that a few stations in California, that had it close to $10.  Gas prices have been driven to record highs by a range of factors, including strong demand for energy as people drive and fly more.

You can click HERE for more info and a list of all 50 states and which states have the highest gas tax.  A combination of the war in Ukraine, inflation, demand for energy, oil prices and supply chains are affecting this.  We are all feeling the pressure.  How can you manage it? I for one, may be hoofing it a few more times.  Perhaps public transportation, or car pooling will be happening more often.  But don't be surprised if the next time you fuel up, it will cost you $5 a gallon.  Good thing my vehicle get really good mileage.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

More From AM 1050 KSIS