Gas Prices Drop 17 Cents, But Your Wallet's Still $1.18 Behind

Memorial Day weekend is in the rearview mirror, and Texas drivers got a small gift at the pump—gas prices dipped 17 cents after the holiday. It’s the kind of relief that makes you feel like you’re winning, right up until you remember that you’re still paying $1.18 more per gallon than you were a year ago.

That’s the real story here. Sure, the post-holiday slide is welcome news, but context matters. Drivers across Texas—from Amarillo to Lubbock to El Paso—are still navigating prices that are significantly higher than they were in May 2025. A 17-cent drop feels good in the moment, but it’s more of a speed bump than a real turnaround when you’re looking at year-over-year costs.

The pattern here is worth noticing. Holiday weekends tend to trigger price fluctuations as demand shifts and refineries adjust production. But those temporary dips don’t erase the bigger economic picture that most of us live with every day. Filling up costs more than it did last year—period. The slight break after Memorial Day is nice, but it doesn’t fundamentally change what you’re spending on fuel each week or month.

For Lawton drivers, this is especially worth tracking since we’re in the Southwest where gas prices can swing based on regional factors as much as national trends. Whether prices climb again or hold steady over the coming weeks will tell us more than any single 17-cent drop can right now.

The bottom line? Celebrate the small wins at the pump, but keep your eyes on the annual comparison. That $1.18 gap is the number that actually matters to your budget.