What states have the most expensive gas? Which ones have the cheapest? September 2023
California is once again the most expensive state for fuel after retaking the top stop from Washington state further north.
While most drivers are paying much less than they were a year ago when the average national price broke over the five-dollar mark, geopolitical action means prices are on their way up again. Prices have been rising since the summer and once again California is the most expensive state for gas in the country.
According to AAA, a gallon of regular gasoline is above $5.60 on average in California, while drivers in One county in California has the most expensive in the nation, Los Angeles-Long Beach, with the price close to $6 in Mono.
In which US state is the most expensive and where is it the cheapest?
The states at the top of the list for most expensive gas and those at the bottom are the usual suspects. Those in the West along with Hawaii and Alaska have prices ranging from $4.50 to over $5 per gallon. States where filling up is the cheapest are mainly in the Deep South and along the Mississippi River. All of them have prices below $3/50 per gallon of regular.
Here are the cheapest and most expensive states to fill up as of 18 September, 2023:
| Most expensive states per gallon of regular | Cheapest states per gallon of regular | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California - $5.688 | 1 | Mississippi - $3.302 |
| 2 | Washington - $5.045 | 2 | Georgia - $3.381 |
| 3 | Nevada - $4.916 | 3 | Louisiana - $3.403 |
| 4 | Hawaii - $4.799 | 4 | South Carolina - $3.427 |
| 5 | Oregon - $4.698 | 5 | Alabama - $3.427 |
| 6 | Alaska - $4.606 | 6 | Tennessee - $3.434 |
| 7 | Arizona - $4.545 | 7 | Texas - $3.436 |
| 8 | Utah - $4.295 | 8 | Arkansas - $3.472 |
| 9 | Montana - $4.202 | 9 | Kentucky - $3.520 |
| 10 | Idaho - $4.147 | 10 | North Carolina - $3.522 |
What’s pushing the price of gas up?
Despite having the highest gas tax in the US, factors outside the country’s control are behind the very high prices. On Friday, oil prices surged to their highest level in 10 months and are heading towards their most significant quarterly rise since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. This has been caused by OPEC, the group of oil producing nations, cutting their production as well as the floods in Libya that has halted production.
For a state like California that imports 70 percent of its fuel, this is very bad news; it is extremely vulnerable to large market fluctuations. In contrast, Texas is the highest producer of both crude oil and natural gas, as well as leading the way on the size of its wind energy facilities. This means that Texas is far less reliant on outside factors in terms of its fuel price, no wonder they are one of the cheapest places in the US to purchase fuel right now.