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Alex Viloanueva of Garland hits the button as he pump gas at a Quicktrip station in East Dallas on Thursday, May 7, 2026.<\/p>\n
Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Rising gas prices are continuing to strain the wallets of North Texans. For some, this means a lot more than just cutting back on spending.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cCan I feed my kids? Can I pay for gas? Can I make my rent payment?\u201d These are the questions Susan Hoff, chief strategy and impact officer for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, is helping people answer. Hoff said United Way partners with over 200 nonprofit organizations to serve around 1.7 million people per year across Dallas, Collin, Rockwall and Denton counties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now that school is out for the summer, Hoff only expects the need for education and financial support services to increase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\nGas prices in North Texas\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
The ongoing war between the U.S., Israel and Iran has had a lasting impact <\/a>on gasoline prices across the country. Since Memorial Day, prices remain on a downward trend, offering some relief to North Texans, but the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> is keeping prices well above last year’s\u00a0average.<\/p>\n Local nonprofits, such as Sharing Life, the Salvation Army of North Texas and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas have seen an increase in resident need due to the increased cost of oil. This includes rental assistance and financial need for basic necessities like groceries.\u00a0These prices have also affected donations. Typically in times of increased need, Sharing Life CEO\u00a0Teresa Jackson\u00a0notices people with the means to donate will. This has not been the case this year, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe price that everybody\u2019s paying for gas, groceries, utilities, mortgages and taxes, all of that has risen so sharply in the past year that many people are having to cut back on giving as part of their discretionary budget, so we really need more help right now than we would normally be,\u201d Jackson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Data from petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan at GasBuddy indicated pre-war averages in Texas remained around $3 per gallon earlier this year. In April, average prices for gasoline reached an\u00a0average <\/a>of $5.20 per gallon. In Dallas, that has dipped to $3.55 on June 8, but still is above $4 a gallon in other parts of the state.<\/p>\n A poll by health policy organization KFF found the rising costs of gasoline<\/a> and other transportation have become U.S. adults\u2019 top affordability concerns, tied with healthcare. Sixty-four percent of respondents expressed being \u201cvery\u201d or \u201csomewhat worried\u201d about gas and transportation for themselves and their families.\u00a0<\/p>\n A study from financial services company Motley Fool Money found that, as of April 30, the average Texan is spending $216 per month on gasoline.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Texas gas price tracker<\/a><\/p>\n \nNorth Texas families feel deep financial strain\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Not everyone is feeling the price increases equally. In North Texas, these costs are placing increased pressure on already strained budgets of families living near or below the poverty line.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n High prices have a \u201cdomino effect\u201d on the choices North Texans have to make, Hoff said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re already living close to the line where your budget is so tightly managed that one thing throws everything off, increased fuel prices absolutely can be one of those things that throw everything out of balance,\u201d Hoff said.<\/p>\n At Sharing Life, a safety net organization providing services to North Texans experiencing financial difficulty, Jackson has seen families\u00a0navigating how to balance paying for basic needs such as food, medications and daycare. A rise in price for one of these categories like gas can quickly snowball.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMany are just one crisis away from beginning that journey [to being unhoused], so when something significant happens like an almost $2 gallon difference in gas, they have to make decisions,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cThey have to go to work to be able to survive, but putting the gas in the car means they have to find something else to cut back on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Often, Jackson said, this sacrifice is food. She said Sharing Life has seen an increase in need for their food pantry services, causing the organization to expand their hours of operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Salvation Army of North Texas has also seen an increase in need at their food pantries, which serve Dallas, Collin, Denton, Tarrant, Ellis and Rockwall counties.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Managing Director Christina Cavalier said nine of the organization\u2019s 13 food pantries have seen a \u201cvery high\u201d\u00a0 average of a 26% increase in first time food pantry clients since January. According to Cavalier, the organization has also seen an increase in utility assistance requests and financial assistance requests.\u00a0<\/p>\n As for the city of Dallas, Communications Administrator Robyn Gerard said in a written statement that the Office of Housing and Community Empowerment has not seen evidence of increased need due to rising gas prices. On the other hand, the city of Fort Worth\u2019s Community Action Partners reports a rise in need for their support services.\u00a0<\/p>\n Michelle Doonkeen, Fort Worth\u2019s assistant director of neighborhood services, said CAP provides utility assistance, emergency rental assistance and case management to residents as they transition out of poverty.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing everything we can to help people and the crisis they\u2019re in, but these rising gas prices are just one more layer of stress,\u201d Doonkeen said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n