Which states have the lowest gas prices?
The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the US continues to fall. Find out which states sell the cheapest fuel and which offer the most expensive.
In the US, the price of gasoline in certain states is usually much lower than the national average, depending on different factors. This also means that elsewhere, prices are very high, pulling up the average in the country.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), on Thursday, Dec. 7, the average price of a gallon of fuel nationwide is $3.202.
This represents a decrease of about $0.20 from the average of $3.408 recorded a month before. However, in certain states, the price is considerably lower than this number.
States with the cheapest gasoline
Gasoline prices are the result of a combination of several local and global factors, from fluctuations in oil prices to distribution costs.
That is why prices are subject to constant changes, and the ranking of the states in the country with the cheapest gasoline usually varies. According to the AAA, these are the 10 states with the lowest average prices as of Dec. 7:
- Texas: $2.684
- Mississippi: $2.720
- Oklahoma: $2.743
- Louisiana: $2.759
- Missouri: $2.759
- Arkansas: $2.783
- Kansas: $2.837
- Alabama: $2.843
- Tennessee: $2.856
- Iowa: $2.870
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States with the most expensive gasoline
On the other end of the scale, we have the states with the highest gasoline prices as of Dec. 7:
- California: $4.740
- Hawaii: $4.707
- Washington: $4.302
- Nevada: $4.077
- Oregon: $3.963
- Alaska: $3.886
- Pennsylvania: $3.541
- Idaho: $3.498
- New York: $3.513
- Vermont: $3.431
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In addition, the District of Columbia is also one of the areas with high fuel prices. For this Thursday, it registers an average price of $3.420, ranking just below the state of Vermont, which sits at 10th place on the list of states with the highest gas prices.
Why is the price of gasoline different in each state of the US?
One factor driving the price disparity is regional access to oil refineries. For example, gas prices on the West Coast are higher, since it is a region with less access to these facilities.
Additionally, the west coast is also hampered by the Rocky Mountains which act as a barrier and limit the number of gas pipelines connecting the region to the rest of the country.
Environmental policies and taxes also influence fuel prices. For example, California is the state with the highest gasoline prices, and these can in part be attributed to higher taxes that are part of the state’s carbon management program, as well as its fuel blend requirements.