Drivers in one Silicon Valley town in California are forking over $7.29 for one gallon of regular unleaded as the price of gas continues to soar nationwide.
The price per gallon at the Chevron gas station in Menlo Park — which would top $100 to fill up a 15-gallon tank — was 4 cents “above the federal hourly minimum wage,” one stunned X user posted on Sunday.
Fellow users on X were appalled by the price, commenting: “Geez, imagine working for an hour for 1 gallon of gas! And that’s BEFORE taxes!”
“Needs fixing,” another said, while a third chimed in: “Looks like people will be walkin’ to work!”
While California hiked its minimum wage at the start of the year to $16 an hour — and boosted it to $20 an hour for fast food workers on April 1 — the pain at the pump remains the highest in the Golden State, which charges an average of $5.44 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.
Nationwide, average gas prices have creeped up to $3.68 a gallon, rising from $3.53 a month ago, according to GasBuddy, which tracks prices at the pump in real time.
The surging gas prices were largely to blame for inflation remaining stubbornly high in the latest Consumer Price Index for March, which showed prices rose 3.5%.
More than half of the hotter-than-expected advance was attributed to gasoline and shelter, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some social media users argued that the Menlo Park gas station prices were not as “outrageous” as it seemed, given the $16-plus-per-hour minimum wage in the area.
“Most make at least $16 in California. Leave the fed wage out of this,” one user said.
“Well everyone drives Teslas,” another added of California residents.
Another argued that residents in the area, known as the “Capital of Venture Capital,” make a lot of money and can therefore afford the expensive price per gallon.
“Normally I’d say this is outrageous and blah blah..but Ayesha, Steph Curry, and all of the other MP/Atherton elites can afford it so not sorry raise it up to 20 for all i care,” another user commented.
“Shop around,” yet another encouraged, noting that another Chevron station in the Menlo Park area is charging $5.79 per gallon.