EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – El Pasoans’ wallets are hurting again at the pump as Borderland gas prices are exceeding the national average.

At a $3.95 average price of one gallon, El Paso is currently the most expensive city to fill up your tank in entire Texas, which has a statewide average of $3.47.

UTEP professor of economics Tom Fullerton said it’s not unusual for the El Paso area to have higher gas prices than the rest of Texas, but it’s definitely not common for the Borderland area to exceed the national average which is currently at $3.86.

The reason for this, he said, is sort of an oxymoron – causing a struggle to afford gas but also indicating a good economy.

Fullerton said as El Paso’s industrial and commercial expansion continues the demand for fuel is higher in the area.

“The strong demand for gasoline and diesel has caused local inventories to be lower than what they normally are. And so that always translates into higher prices,” Fullerton explained.

He said currently there is no sign that prices will significantly decline as this growth continues.

Victor Castillo, owner of Rio Grande Supermarket, a local grocery store and gas station in Canutillo, explained he is used to prices going up and down but pointed out another problem over the weekend.

The local refinery reported having issues on Thursday and Castillo’s gas station ran out of fuel so he had to shut it down Saturday and Sunday.

He said he didn’t receive gas until Monday morning.

One El Pasoan tells KTSM he tried to go from west to east across the city, hoping the prices were cheaper, but to his surprise, the difference in price was insignificant.

“You would think with having the refinery here it would be cheaper but it’s more expensive,” he said.

Fullerton said El Pasoans can expect for prices to stay higher until Labor Day when they are expected to drop which is usually the case.

However, they can still expect the average price per gallon in El Paso to stay above the national average, according to Fullerton.