Gasoline prices in Arkansas have increased by 5.9 cents per gallon over the past week, averaging $3.74 per gallon as of Monday, according to a recent survey conducted by GasBuddy at 1,826 stations across the state. Despite the rise, prices remain 5.1 cents per gallon lower than a month ago but stand significantly higher—97.7 cents more—than this time last year.
The cost of diesel nationwide has also seen a sharp increase, climbing 16.6 cents in the past week to an average of $5.58 per gallon.
Wide price variations persist across Arkansas. The cheapest gas station in the state was found in Hot Springs, offering fuel at $3.32 per gallon, while the most expensive reported price was $4.69 per gallon, indicating a gap of $1.37. In northern Arkansas, the lowest reported price, $3.65 per gallon, was at Smith’s Station in Leslie.
In Baxter County, prices ranged from $3.88 to $3.95 per gallon, while Marion County stations reported prices between $3.91 and $3.99 per gallon. Fulton County’s prices varied from $3.79 to $3.93 per gallon, with Searcy County offering the region’s lowest price window, stretching from $3.65 to $3.97 per gallon. Boone County prices were reported between $3.89 and $3.99, and Stone County’s prices ranged between $3.79 and $3.89. Newton County did not have any reported data.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, warned that rising prices are occurring at an exceptionally late point in the year, with the national average expected to exceed $4 per gallon by Labor Day. He tied the recent surge to global disruptions in fuel supply, including a loss of Russian refinery capacity due to continued strikes in Ukraine. While some oil shipments have managed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, these supply constraints are likely to keep prices elevated in the near term, De Haan said.
The national average gasoline price rose 2.9 cents in the last week to reach $4.05 per gallon. Like Arkansas, the national average is slightly down from a month ago—by 5 cents—but is up 92.6 cents compared to the same time last year, according to GasBuddy’s analysis of over 150,000 locations across the country.
To provide historical perspective, Arkansas's average prices on August 24 in previous years were $2.77 per gallon in 2025, $3.00 in 2024, $3.40 in 2023, $3.37 in 2022, and $2.85 in 2021. Meanwhile, the national average has followed similar trends, with gasoline costing $3.12 per gallon in 2025 and $3.86 per gallon in 2022 on the same date.