Gas prices are falling across much of the United States, but Seattle drivers are still paying a premium, according to Fox 13 Seattle.

The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.066. In Washington state, the average jumps to $4.388 per gallon. In the Seattle–Bellevue–Everett metro area, the price is $4.648 per gallon, and in King County it reaches $4.732 per gallon.

AAA says some Seattleites are paying as much as 53% above the U.S. norm for gasoline.

Fox writes that the national average continues a slow decline, heading toward the $3-a-gallon mark for the first time in nearly four years. Lower demand, cheaper crude oil, and the switch to less-expensive winter-blend gasoline are helping drive that trend. A year ago, the national average was $3.163 per gallon, while Washington’s statewide average was $4.068 — a gap of just 32 cents that has now widened dramatically.

In other words: while the gasoline might be a little cheaper soon for some, in Seattle the pain at the pump is still real — and the cost of owning a home here keeps climbing or at best holding steady high.

Gas prices in Seattle are far higher than the national average mainly because Washington imposes some of the highest fuel taxes and climate-related fees in the country.

The state’s carbon pricing policy increases the cost per gallon before it ever reaches a pump. Seattle is also geographically distant from major oil production regions and relies on a limited number of local refineries and tanker deliveries, meaning there’s less competition and higher transportation and production costs.

On top of that, the region’s overall cost of doing business is elevated, with pricier labor, logistics, and real estate all filtering into what drivers pay. Even when national fuel prices drop, these structural factors keep Seattle’s gas among the most expensive in the U.S., leaving local motorists paying a premium simply to stay on the road.