Quick Answer Box
- Michigan average: $4.46 a gallon on Monday, Oct. 5 — down 21 cents from a week ago, per AAA. (FACT: Detroit Free Press.)
- Jackson: $4.50 on Sunday — tied with metro Detroit for the second-priciest in Michigan, behind only Ann Arbor at $4.54. The cheapest: Flint ($4.28), Saginaw ($4.39), Marquette ($4.41). (FACT.)
- Ohio just acted: The state suspended its fuel taxes through the rest of the year — 38.5 cents a gallon on gasoline and 47 cents on diesel, cut to nearly nothing — using $725 million in reserve funds. Ohio’s average is now below $4. (FACT.)
- Michigan is debating it: State officials are debating whether to do something similar. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has called for a federal gas-tax suspension (18 cents on gas, 24 cents on diesel) but opposes cutting the state tax. (FACT.)
- Diesel: $6.62 a gallon in Michigan — down from an all-time high of $6.89 last month. (FACT.)
- The outlook: GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan says declines may continue in most states, but warns of an “upward swing” from price cycling. (FACT: direct quote.)
The Jackson math
(COMMENTARY: Arithmetic, not advocacy. The prices are FACT; the multiplication is ours.)
At $4.50 a gallon, a 15-gallon fill-up in Jackson costs $67.50. Drive to Flint’s $4.28 average and the same fill-up costs $64.20 — a $3.30 difference per tank, or roughly $13 a month for a weekly fill-up.
Now stack Ohio’s move against it: 38.5 cents off per gallon saves about $5.78 on that same 15-gallon fill-up. That’s the scale of what a tax suspension means in real money — not abstract policy, but the difference between one tank and the next.
And for context on the Michigan debate: Congressman John James has pushed suspending both Michigan’s 52.4-cent state tax and the 18-cent federal tax — about 70 cents combined (see our Oct. 1 breakdown of the gas-tax fight). Ohio actually did the smaller version: 38.5 cents, state tax only, through December 31. The Michigan question is whether Lansing follows, and with whose money — Ohio is covering its cut from reserves.
What “price cycling” means for your week
(COMMENTARY: Explaining the term De Haan used, in plain language.)
De Haan’s warning about price cycling describes a pattern every driver has lived through: competing stations undercut each other to win traffic until margins vanish, then prices jump back up in unison. That’s why a Monday average of $4.46 doesn’t guarantee a Friday price — the number you see depends on where your neighborhood is in the cycle.
The practical read: declines “may continue in a majority of states,” but fill up when you see a good number rather than betting on a better one tomorrow. The cycle doesn’t announce itself.
Why prices surged in the first place
(FACT: Free Press.)
Fuel prices surged across Michigan and the Great Lakes in late September on a double hit: rising oil prices plus geopolitical and regional refinery concerns. Prices nationally are still higher — in many places considerably — than before the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran. More crude is reportedly flowing through the Strait of Hormuz now, but refineries aren’t getting shipments through, and a third U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, is headed to the region.
In short: the relief at the pump is real, but the forces that pushed prices up haven’t fully unwound.
One Detroit sidebar worth knowing
(FACT: Free Press, via WJBK-TV.)
A second “Freedom Fuel” station — part of a private network of patriotically branded outlets promoted on social media by President Trump — opened this weekend in Detroit at 820 W. McNichols Road. The stations, now 30+ locations mostly in Pennsylvania, initially sold gas at $3.47 a gallon “as a nod to Trump, the 47th president,” and were selling regular at $3.99 Sunday. But the stations are also connected to a federal lawsuit alleging $4 million in unpaid fuel. Cheap gas with questions attached — worth knowing before the social posts do the marketing for them.
FAQs
How much is gas in Jackson right now?
$4.50 a gallon on Sunday, per AAA — tied with metro Detroit for second-highest among Michigan communities. The statewide average Monday was $4.46, down 21 cents on the week. (FACT.)
Where is gas cheapest in Michigan?
Flint ($4.28), Saginaw ($4.39), and Marquette ($4.41) had the lowest Sunday averages; Ann Arbor ($4.54) was the highest. (FACT.)
Did Ohio really suspend its gas tax?
Yes — through the rest of 2026. Ohio cut its 38.5-cent gasoline tax and 47-cent diesel tax to nearly nothing, covering the gap with $725 million in reserve funds. Ohio’s average is now below $4 a gallon. (FACT.)
Is Michigan going to suspend its gas tax?
Not decided. State officials are debating it. Gov. Whitmer wants a federal suspension (18c gas, 24c diesel) but opposes cutting Michigan’s 52.4-cent state tax. Congressman John James has pushed for suspending both. (FACT.)
Why did gas get so expensive in late September?
Rising oil prices plus geopolitical tensions and regional refinery concerns pushed prices up across Michigan and the Great Lakes. They’ve eased somewhat since. (FACT: Free Press.)
Source links
- Detroit Free Press — “Gas prices fall, especially in Ohio, which just suspended fuel taxes” (Oct. 5, 2026): https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/10/05/gasoline-prices-michigan-drop-tax-ohio/92103121007/
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Last updated: October 6, 2026.
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