Where is gas the most expensive in the US 2022?

Trilby Lundberg, an analyst at the Lundberg Survey, said on Sunday that the new price is 32 cents higher than the all-time high of $4.11 set in July 2008. The price of gas is $1.54 higher than a year ago.

Where is gas the most expensive in the United States?

The highest average price for regular gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, at $5.79 per gallon. The lowest average is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at $3.80 per gallon.

The average driver covers 39 miles per day and their vehicle averages 24.2 miles per gallon of gas. That works out to $9.26 in gas per day in California and $6.15 in Kansas, a difference of roughly $100 per month.

The price of gas was already rising before the invasion that began two weeks ago because demand was increasing due to increased activity once coronavirus restrictions were lifted. Crude oil prices plummeted in early 2020 as economies around the world shut down due to COVID-19. However, prices rebounded as demand recovered faster than production and inventories were depleted.

Then the price increase accelerated after the war started. In 2021, when gas prices averaged $2.86 per gallon nationwide, the average driver was paying only $4.61 per day. That represents an increase to monthly gas budgets by about $80 to $125 in the last year alone.

Energy prices are also contributing to the worst inflation Americans have seen in 40 years, far outpacing increases in wages.

They are on the mind of everyone who has to drive, especially as the summer travel season begins: gas prices. The continuing effects of the pandemic and Russia’s war with Ukraine have delivered a one-two punch to the world’s supply of petroleum, causing prices at the pump to jump up to levels last seen in 2014.

After a peak that started earlier this month, prices are starting to come down this week going into the July 4 holiday weekend. Regardless, drivers in some states definitely have it worse than others. As of June 30, average prices for regular gasoline range from a low of $4.36 in Georgia to a whopping high of $6.29 in California, according to the national motor club AAA. The national average was $4.86, a nearly 56% increase from last year.

Western and Pacific states face the most costly gas in the nation, as the five states with the highest prices are California, Hawaii ($5.60), Alaska ($5.57), Nevada ($5.57) and Oregon ($5.49). Of course, there can be significant differences in costs within one state or even within one city, depending on factors like local competition or an area’s access to pipelines and refineries.

The high average price of gas in California is particularly notable because it has the most cars of any state and some of the nation's longest commute times. Why is gas so expensive in the Golden State? It’s a combination of higher environmental standards for fuel and higher gas taxes than most states. Gas stations must sell a cleaner fuel blend that few refineries outside of California produce, which can make it difficult to find fuel when there’s a shortage.

"California gasoline prices are generally higher and more variable than prices in other states because relatively few supply sources offer California’s unique blend of gasoline outside the state," the U.S. Energy Information Administration noted.

Though the South stands out for cheaper prices, the states that have seen the smallest relative changes in price over the past year are actually further west. Hawaii saw the smallest percent change in price compared to a year ago, an increase of “only” about 40%. Prices in California, Colorado and Washington all went up around 45%.

On the other hand, residents of Arizona have been particularly unlucky as their state saw the greatest year-over-year percent increase in gas prices: up 67% from $3.13 to $5.22. Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont all saw increases of more than 63% as well.

While gas prices right now may make drivers wince, these are not the worst hikes in recent U.S. history. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, inflation-adjusted gas prices were similarly high or higher from 2011 to 2014, 2005 to 2008 and from 1980 to 1981.

National leaders are considering ways to give motorists a break at the pump. President Joe Biden last week called for Congress to approve a three-month gas tax holiday, which could save drivers as much as 18 cents per gallon. The move, however, faces an uncertain future.

With prices coming down for the second week in a row, there is some reason for optimism for consumers as the Energy Information Administration forecasts that the decrease could continue. But if the pandemic has taught the country anything, it’s that the world can often go in directions no one would expect.

The national average gas price this week is $3.25, down from $3.39. US gas prices in 2022 are among the highest since 2018. Over the past five years, the price of gas has averaged $2.90 per gallon — or $0.36 a gallon less expensive than today.

The latest US gas prices at a glance

1. National average: $3.25 per gallon as of Dec. 15, 2022
2. Cheapest gas in the US: Gas in Texas costs an average of $2.65 as of Dec. 15, 2022
3. Highest gas prices in the US: Gas is most expensive in Hawaii at $5.15 a gallon as of Dec. 15, 2022
4. 2022 national average: $4.01 per gallon
5. Highest national average in 2022: $4.99 per gallon the week of June 16th
6. Lowest national average in 2022: $3.31 per gallon on January 6th
7. Highest gas prices in the US in 2022: California at $6.43 per gallon on June 16th
8. Lowest 2022 state gas price: Texas at $2.91 per gallon on January 6th

Both prices are the highest figures in our dataset.

This means what you’ll pay at the pump in 2022 is about $0.36 more expensive than the national five-year average.

Highest gas prices in the US

Hawaii has the most expensive gas in the US as of Dec. 15, 2022, with the highest gas prices in the US costing $5.15 a gallon. It’s followed by California ($4.45) and Nevada ($4.15) as the next two most expensives states to buy gas.

Cheapest states to buy gas right now

At the other end of the spectrum, gas is at its cheapest in Texas, costing just $2.65 as of Dec. 15, 2022. The next cheapest state to buy a gallon of gas is Oklahoma ($2.75) followed by Arkansas ($2.75).

Are gas prices going up or down?

Gas prices are down on average for the US as a whole, with the price of gas falling in all 51 states over the last week.

The national average gas price fell from $3.39 per gallon on Dec. 08, 2022, to $3.25 per gallon on Dec. 15, 2022 — a decrease of $-0.14 per gallon or about -4%.

Montana saw gas prices fall $0.24, while Nevada saw drops of $0.20 and Vermont $0.19.

US gas prices: 2018 to 2022

US gas prices per gallon have wavered between a national average of $1.84 and $4.99 since 2018.

Americans saw the lowest annual average in 2020, when the average cost for a gallon of gas was $2.19. Fast-forward two years and gas is almost double the cost, with a gallon running an average of $4.01 so far in 2022.

Highest gas prices in the US: 2018–2022

It’s been an expensive year for gas in the US. How expensive? Well, in 2022 alone, we’ve seen the 10 most expensive national average prices since 2018.

Lowest average gas prices in the US: 2018–2022

While 2022 is the year of expensive gas, 2020 is host to all 10 of the cheapest gas prices since 2018.

Are gas credit cards worth the hassle?

With gas prices sitting at record highs and the economy circling the drain, American families are looking to cut costs where they can. One way of doing so is learning how to make the most of your credit cards.

For the purpose of this section, we looked at the list of Finder’s best gas credit cards (plus one we found offering a great deal right now), that range from cash back to fuel credits.

Prepandemic, the average gas consumption of an American was 414 gallons per year. At the current average price of $3.82 that means you’re looking at an annual spend on gas of $1,581.

Cash back on your gas

Of the best credit cards for gas, most offer cash back between 2% and 5% — meaning you’ll see between $32 and $79 cash back over the year. Nothing to sneeze at but also nothing to write home about.

Earning points on your gas purchases

If points are more your thing, the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card offers 5x points on gas at the pump. This would net you close to 8K in points at a dollar value of roughly $78.

Fuel credits on your credit card spend

If live in an area where Chevron or Texaco stations are common, then you may want to have a look at the Chevron and/or Texaco Techron Advantage Visa® Card. If you use the card right, that is have a monthly spend of $1,000 on non-fuel purchases, you’ll earn $0.20 per gallon at the pump, which would see you netting abot $83 in fuel credits.

• The American Automotive Association updates a daily list of state average gas prices in the US. Finder began tracking these prices on September 22, 2022, to compile a historical record of gas prices in the US. For historical gas price data, we used the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to record each state’s prices on Thursdays since November 30, 2017.

  Limitations: Our figures display what is available on the date in question for each month. AAA updates its average state prices daily, though there may be discrepancies between what was reached on that day and what was actually published.

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What states have the highest gas prices 2022?

Where in the US is the highest gas prices?