evidence: There are still some portions of the country where $4 a gallon gas is still rare. The large swath of central states, from North Dakota south to Texas, have averages no higher than $3.71 a gallon. [...] There are now 18 states, plus Washington DC, where the price is $4 or greater. All of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as well as the West Coast, Nevada, Arizona, Illinois, Alaska and Hawaii have statewide averages at or above $4. And three additional states, Florida, Michigan and Indiana, are less than half-a-cent away from the $4 mark. [...] The average price one year ago was $2.76 a gallon, as the market was still recovering from the plunge that occurred early in the pandemic and stay-at-home orders and business shutdowns slashed demand for gasoline.