Average Maryland Gas Prices Creep Near $5 Per Gallon: AAA

BALTIMORE, MD — Marylanders continue to feel the pain at the pump as gas price averages creep near $5 per gallon.

According to AAA, the average price of regular in Maryland was up to $4.994 on Friday, an increase of nearly 22 cents from a week ago.

The price of gas in the state is slightly higher than the national average, which is currently $4.994.

The cost to fuel up in the state is about two dollars more a gallon than it was a year ago.

Maryland is among the top 10 states in the country to experience the largest surge in gas price averages over the last week, AAA reports.

Since last Thursday, gas price averages have jumped 36 cents in the state. Only Michigan (+41 cents) and Deleware (+37 cents) experienced bigger jumps at the pump.

The average price of a gallon of regular gas Friday across Maryland was:

• Annapolis: $4.993
• Baltimore: $5.001
• Bowie-St. Charles: $4.988
• Cumberland: $4.857
• Frederick: $4.976
• Hagerstown: $4.801
• Salisbury: $5.000
• Washington region (MD only): $5.042

GasBuddy, a service that helps drivers find deals on gas, said the average surpassed $5 across the country for the first time ever Thursday.

Pump prices have been rising steadily for months, shooting past the $4 mark in early March. They track the cost of crude oil, which was rising even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine drove oil even higher.

Fears of short supplies are being compounded by demand, which usually picks up around Memorial Day at the end of May — the unofficial start of summer and vacation trips in the U.S.

California has the highest average price, at $6.40 a gallon, according to AAA. Several other Western states and Illinois are higher than $5.50.

The lowest average is in Georgia, at $4.41.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.