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Seattle gas prices are closing in on $6 a gallon.

Why it matters: The extreme price spikes analysts feared this spring — a statewide average above $7 and $10 gas at Seattle's priciest stations — haven't materialized, though the threat hasn't disappeared.

The latest: Seattle will "almost definitely" reach a $6 average if the latest surge in oil prices holds through the week, Ryan Cummings, an economist at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, tells Axios.

But Cummings now thinks the prices he warned about this spring are unlikely before year's end.

Demand has fallen more sharply than analysts expected as prices rose, Cummings says, while China's massive prewar oil stockpile has reduced its need to compete for scarce barrels.

Yes, but: Cummings cautioned that further disruptions could send prices higher.

As long as the war continues, the worst-case scenario "is still on the table," he says, but now appears "less likely" than it did at the beginning of the conflict.

By the numbers: In the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area, regular gas averaged $5.71 a gallon Monday — up 35 cents from a month ago and nearly 90 cents from a year ago, per AAA.

That's about $1.39 above the national average and 15 cents above the state average.

The climb accelerated in recent weeks, with federal data showing Seattle regular jumped from $5.26 on Aug. 10 to $5.60 by Sept. 7.

What they're saying: Gas prices, on average, have never been this high this late in the year, said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy's head of petroleum analysis.

Where to fill up: As of Monday, the GasBuddy app showed some of the Seattle area's cheapest regular gas at Arco on Roosevelt Way ($5.03), Space Age on 35th Ave SW ($5.18), Costco on Fourth Ave. S ($5.29) and QFC on NE 145th St ($5.29)

The bottom line: $10 gas may be less likely, but the pain at the pump is still real.

Seattle's pain at the pump isn't over 

Prices are up nearly 90 cents from last year, but the worst-case outlook has improved.

Illustration of a gasoline price sign with symbols indicating swear words as the listed prices. 

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

Seattle gas prices are closing in on $6 a gallon.Why it matters: The extreme price spikes analysts feared this spring — a statewide average above $7 and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$10 gas" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/04/02/washington-gas-prices-10-dollars-gallon-strait-of-hormuz-oil-supply-iran-war" data-vars-content-id="5b493808-9d41-468c-a174-133984881892" data-vars-headline="Seattle&#x27;s pain at the pump isn&#x27;t over " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/04/02/washington-gas-prices-10-dollars-gallon-strait-of-hormuz-oil-supply-iran-war" target="_self">$10 gas</a> at Seattle&#x27;s priciest stations — haven&#x27;t materialized, though the threat hasn&#x27;t disappeared.

News

Seattle has become dangerously dependent on a handful of tech giants that powered the city's decades-long economic boom, according to a new city-commissioned report.

Why it matters: The sweeping analysis says Seattle's tech success has left its jobs, tax base and economic future vulnerable to the fortunes of just a few companies.

Driving the news: Mayor Katie Wilson released the 127-page report Wednesday and signed an executive order aimed at keeping businesses here while diversifying the economy.

The order calls for a business and labor task force, a new economic development fund and faster permitting.

Wilson wants the city to lean into clean tech, life sciences, and the space and maritime industries.

What they did: Economists crunched regional data and interviewed dozens of business executives, civic leaders and national experts, benchmarking Seattle against comparable metros.

By the numbers: Just four companies account for 25% of software engineer job postings in Seattle, compared with 18 companies in San Jose and 39 in San Francisco, per the analysis. 

10 companies generate 75% of Seattle's JumpStart payroll tax revenue, nine of them in tech-related industries.

Meanwhile, Amazon and Microsoft have cut more than 10,000 Seattle-area jobs since 2023. 

Yes, but: Seattle remains a tech powerhouse, home to 23% of the nation's AI engineers — second only to the Bay Area — and its tech employees generate more than twice the national average in economic output per worker, according to the report.

The bottom line: The goal isn't to replace tech. It's to hang onto the companies and talent Seattle already has while building an economy that doesn't depend quite so heavily on a handful of them.

Seattle looks beyond Big Tech to build its next economy

Just 10 companies generate 75% of Seattle's JumpStart payroll tax revenue, a new report finds.

Illustration of woman holding a laptop while walking on tightrope.

Seattle has become dangerously dependent on a handful of tech giants that powered the city&#x27;s decades-long economic boom, according to a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="city-commissioned" data-vars-click-url="https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/economicDevelopment/SeawallBuildingaResilientSeattleEconomy2026.pdf" data-vars-content-id="854b0de4-5541-425f-a342-21e11a186302" data-vars-headline="Seattle looks beyond Big Tech to build its next economy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/economicDevelopment/SeawallBuildingaResilientSeattleEconomy2026.pdf" target="_blank">city-commissioned</a> report. Why it matters: The sweeping analysis says Seattle&#x27;s tech success has left its jobs, tax base and economic future vulnerable to the fortunes of just a few companies.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

The M's and the Sounders are learning that if you can't be spectacularly good, there's something to be said for being spectacularly bad.

Why it matters: Both teams have spent the summer losing with such commitment that fans are talking about needing a miracle to save the season.

Flashback: Last year, a Mariners fan paid an Etsy witch to lift the team's curse — and the Mariners promptly won 10 straight games, then had a deeper run in the playoffs than ever before.

This season, both teams could use that witch's number.

By the numbers: The Mariners are 70–81, guaranteeing their first non-winning season since 2020, one year after a magical run that persuaded fans to hope again.

This month, the M's beat the Athletics 19–1, the largest margin of victory in franchise history, then turned around and lost 6–4 to the Angels, the worst team in the American League.

Meanwhile: The Sounders haven't won an MLS match since May 13. Since the World Cup break, they're 0–6–4 in league play — including a 5-1 home loss on July 16 to Portland and four straight draws.

The big picture: Longtime Mariners fans — who've had 50 seasons to metabolize heartbreak, hope and dismal failure on a cellular level — are uniquely qualified to share coping tips with Sounders fans accustomed to playoffs and trophies.

The bottom line: Witch or no witch, we might as well laugh and enjoy having something to root for together. 

Mariners and Sounders make misery a team sport

The Mariners and Sounders have turned a rough summer into a shared exercise in sports-fan suffering.

A Mariners player sprawls on the dirt after a fall, left, while a Sounders player tilts his head back with his hands on his face.

Suffering in Seattle. Photos: Ryan Sirius Sun (l) and Steph Chambers/Getty Images

The M&#x27;s and the Sounders are learning that if you can&#x27;t be spectacularly good, there&#x27;s something to be said for being spectacularly bad.Why it matters: Both teams have spent the summer losing with such commitment that fans are talking about needing a miracle to save the season.

Sports

September is prime time to tackle garden troublemakers, fill bare spots and put down new roots before rain settles in.

Why it matters: Warm soil, cooler days and returning rain make this month ideal for planting, repairing damage and getting ahead of next year.

🥬 Plant for fall and winter: The window is closing for sowing many overwintering crops. Get spinach and other hardy greens in now or sow a cover crop in empty vegetable beds.

🌳 Put down roots: Fall is one of the best times to plant trees, shrubs and perennials in Western Washington. Cooler temperatures and returning rain reduce stress on new plants and help roots get established.

🌱 Give the lawn some love: September is among the best times to overseed bare or thin patches and aerate compacted areas while grass is still actively growing.

🌿 Tackle invasives: Get after Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, garlic mustard and other unwanted invaders before fall rains take over.

Just check the recommended control method first — especially for knotweed, which can spread from tiny root and stem fragments.

Pro tip: Invasives generally can't be tackled in one season. But you can start small — one plant, one square foot, one patch at a time.

🍂 Don't clean up too much: Weed, add compost and mulch bare soil, but consider leaving healthy perennial stems, seed heads and some fallen leaves for insects and birds.

The bottom line: The garden may be slowing down, but now is no time to call it quits.

5 garden jobs to tackle in Seattle right now

Warm soil, cooler days and returning rain create ideal conditions for planting and repairing yards.

A planter filled with pastel violas at the bottom, bright pink geraniums in the middle, and long green spiky leaves on the right, with a blurred lakeside landscape in the background.

Not done yet. Photo: Christine Clarridge/Axios

September is prime time to tackle garden troublemakers, fill bare spots and put down new roots before rain settles in.Why it matters: Warm soil, cooler days and returning rain make this month ideal for planting, repairing damage and getting ahead of next year.

Things to Do

A women-only Korean spa in Washington is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its yearslong fight over admitting transgender women who have not undergone gender-confirmation surgery.

Why it matters: Olympus Spa argues that applying Washington's anti-discrimination law to its nude communal spaces violates the Christian owners' First Amendment rights.

The state has maintained the spa's policy violates protections against discrimination based on gender identity.

Driving the news: The Supreme Court formally added Olympus Spa's petition to its docket last week, though that doesn't mean the justices will agree to hear the case.

Catch up quick: The dispute began in 2020 after a transgender woman complained to the state that the spa had denied her entry.

A federal appeals court ruled against the spa last year.

In March, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reconsider the case, drawing national attention after Judge Lawrence VanDyke opened a blistering dissent with the line, "This is a case about swinging dicks."

What they're saying: "Washington's public accommodation law has been weaponized against women and teenage girls who wish to be left alone in their intimate spaces," Olympus Spa attorney Kevin Snider told Axios.

What we're watching: Whether the justices decide to take up the petition.

Washington transgender spa fight reaches Supreme Court

Olympus Spa has fought the state since 2020 over who must be admitted to its nude communal spaces.

The U.S. Supreme Court building beneath a partly cloudy sky in Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court petition. Photo: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

A women-only Korean spa in Washington is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its yearslong fight over admitting transgender women who have not undergone gender-confirmation surgery.Why it matters: Olympus Spa argues that applying Washington&#x27;s anti-discrimination law to its nude communal spaces violates the Christian owners&#x27; First Amendment rights.

Christine Clarridge

Featured stories

Portlanders still feel pain at the pump

Mariners and Sounders make misery a team sport

5 garden jobs to tackle in Seattle right now

Seattle's pain at the pump isn't over

Seattle looks beyond Big Tech to build its next economy