Between high gas prices, steady inflation and the residual impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans' driving habits are changing — but not how you would expect. Our team of analysts found that 55% of people changed their driving habits to spend less on fuel. Still, many people seem willing to pay the cost to go the distance. Last year, 66% of people made changes to their travel plans because of gas prices.
Key findings:
- Thirty-seven percent of people canceled trips due to high gas prices, while 45% made no changes to their travel plans.
- Gas usage has declined by as much as 19% in some states and increased by 32% in others.
- Montana, Wyoming and Rhode Island are the most gas-guzzling states.
- Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts use the least gas.
- Washington currently has the most expensive gas, at $4.92 per gallon, on average.
- The national average price for gas as of mid-2023 is $3.64 per gallon.
- Mississippi has the cheapest gas in the nation.
States with the most expensive gas prices in 2023
Gas prices have reached unprecedented highs over the last year. Although prices peaked in 2021, we still are seeing prices 61% higher than in 2020. Our data shows that some states are more affected by these costs than others. Washington tops the charts as the most expensive state for gas in 2023, at an average $4.93 per gallon. That's 36% more than the national average of $3.64 per gallon. On the other hand, Mississippi is 15% below average, at only $3.09 per gallon.
| Rank (worst to best) | State | Gas price per gallon | % difference from average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $4.93 | 36% |
| 2 | California | $4.90 | 35% |
| 3 | Hawaii | $4.69 | 29% |
| 4 | Oregon | $4.58 | 26% |
| 5 | Alaska | $4.31 | 19% |
| 6 | Nevada | $4.21 | 16% |
| 7 | Utah | $3.95 | 9% |
| 8 | Idaho | $3.88 | 7% |
| 9 | Illinois | $3.87 | 6% |
| 10 | Colorado | $3.86 | 6% |
| 11 | Arizona | $3.80 | 5% |
| 12 | Montana | $3.76 | 3% |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $3.73 | 3% |
| 14 | New York | $3.72 | 2% |
| 15 | Maine | $3.66 | 1% |
| 16 | Connecticut | $3.66 | 1% |
| 17 | Maryland | $3.64 | 0% |
| 18 | Wyoming | $3.64 | 0% |
| 19 | Vermont | $3.64 | 0% |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $3.58 | -1% |
| 21 | Delaware | $3.57 | -2% |
| 22 | Michigan | $3.57 | -2% |
| 23 | New Jersey | $3.57 | -2% |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $3.56 | -2% |
| 25 | Florida | $3.55 | -2% |
| 26 | Indiana | $3.53 | -3% |
| 27 | South Dakota | $3.53 | -3% |
| 28 | New Mexico | $3.52 | -3% |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $3.51 | -4% |
| 30 | Minnesota | $3.50 | -4% |
| 31 | North Dakota | $3.48 | -4% |
| 32 | Iowa | $3.46 | -5% |
| 33 | Virginia | $3.46 | -5% |
| 34 | Georgia | $3.43 | -6% |
| 35 | North Carolina | $3.42 | -6% |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $3.41 | -6% |
| 37 | Nebraska | $3.40 | -7% |
| 38 | West Virginia | $3.38 | -7% |
| 39 | South Carolina | $3.36 | -8% |
| 40 | Ohio | $3.35 | -8% |
| 41 | Kansas | $3.34 | -8% |
| 42 | Missouri | $3.32 | -9% |
| 43 | Kentucky | $3.32 | -9% |
| 44 | Texas | $3.31 | -9% |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $3.30 | -9% |
| 46 | Tennessee | $3.27 | -10% |
| 47 | Arkansas | $3.25 | -11% |
| 48 | Alabama | $3.23 | -11% |
| 49 | Louisiana | $3.22 | -11% |
| 50 | Mississippi | $3.09 | -15% |
| U.S. | $3.64 | N/A | |
| Gasoline data sourced from AAA in July 2023 | |||
How gas prices have changed driving behavior
Whether it’s canceling trips, carpooling or using public transit, high gas prices have fueled significant changes in driving habits. Nationwide, 37% of people canceled trips, 27% of drivers started carpooling or combining trips, and 9% of people are increasingly relying on public transit. However, we also found that 45% of drivers didn’t change their driving habits at all. In fact, Americans are less likely to cancel or change their travel plans than in previous years.
These changes in driving habits vary significantly from state to state. In Nevada, 45% of drivers decided to cancel trips, compared to 26% in Massachusetts. Over a third of Utah drivers decided to carpool or combine trips to save money. And nearly 15% of people in Rhode Island, New York and Colorado switched to public transportation to get around.
| State | Canceled trips | Combined trips or carpooled | Used public transit | Made no changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 39% | 27% | 6% | 46% |
| Alaska | 35% | 35% | 12% | 41% |
| Arizona | 45% | 34% | 10% | 38% |
| Arkansas | 43% | 27% | 6% | 44% |
| California | 42% | 26% | 13% | 40% |
| Colorado | 31% | 31% | 14% | 48% |
| Connecticut | 34% | 25% | 10% | 47% |
| Delaware | 31% | 26% | 11% | 50% |
| Florida | 40% | 24% | 8% | 44% |
| Georgia | 37% | 27% | 9% | 46% |
| Hawaii | 30% | 30% | 13% | 49% |
| Idaho | 40% | 33% | 11% | 39% |
| Illinois | 32% | 24% | 11% | 48% |
| Indiana | 40% | 28% | 6% | 43% |
| Iowa | 34% | 24% | 7% | 49% |
| Kansas | 32% | 25% | 5% | 54% |
| Kentucky | 40% | 30% | 4% | 46% |
| Louisiana | 44% | 29% | 7% | 41% |
| Maine | 33% | 28% | 4% | 47% |
| Maryland | 34% | 25% | 11% | 46% |
| Massachusetts | 26% | 19% | 11% | 57% |
| Michigan | 35% | 30% | 7% | 45% |
| Minnesota | 29% | 27% | 7% | 54% |
| Mississippi | 45% | 28% | 5% | 38% |
| Missouri | 35% | 28% | 6% | 46% |
| Montana | 44% | 33% | 11% | 38% |
| Nebraska | 37% | 26% | 6% | 46% |
| Nevada | 45% | 26% | 9% | 38% |
| New Hampshire | 35% | 30% | 4% | 47% |
| New Jersey | 33% | 24% | 11% | 48% |
| New Mexico | 39% | 28% | 8% | 40% |
| New York | 29% | 21% | 14% | 54% |
| North Carolina | 40% | 27% | 6% | 46% |
| North Dakota | 33% | 21% | 7% | 54% |
| Ohio | 37% | 29% | 5% | 45% |
| Oklahoma | 39% | 25% | 7% | 45% |
| Oregon | 36% | 32% | 13% | 45% |
| Pennsylvania | 36% | 28% | 9% | 44% |
| Rhode Island | 29% | 29% | 14% | 45% |
| South Carolina | 39% | 26% | 3% | 46% |
| South Dakota | 42% | 23% | 7% | 45% |
| Tennessee | 41% | 27% | 9% | 42% |
| Texas | 39% | 23% | 8% | 46% |
| Utah | 43% | 37% | 13% | 35% |
| Vermont | 30% | 35% | 8% | 45% |
| Virginia | 32% | 26% | 8% | 50% |
| Washington | 39% | 33% | 12% | 41% |
| West Virginia | 40% | 26% | 4% | 46% |
| Wisconsin | 36% | 31% | 8% | 47% |
| Wyoming | 42% | 26% | 7% | 42% |
| U.S. | 37% | 27% | 9% | 45% |
Gasoline consumption by state
The change in driving habits has led to a decrease in fuel consumption. Drivers are now using 10.5 million fewer gallons of gas daily than in 2021. That’s enough fuel to drive around the Earth 11,000 times.
But the changes vary by state. Demand has fallen nearly 20% in Vermont and Minnesota, and nearly 10% in 12 other states. South Dakota is the only state using significantly more gas.
| State | Daily gallons, October 2021 | Current daily gallons | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 6,824,000 | 6,994,000 | 3% |
| Alaska | 609,000 | 570,000 | -6% |
| Arizona | 8,143,000 | 7,963,000 | -2% |
| Arkansas | 3,983,000 | 3,464,000 | -13% |
| California | 33,266,000 | 32,594,000 | -2% |
| Colorado | 6,342,000 | 6,040,000 | -5% |
| Connecticut | 3,877,000 | 3,497,000 | -10% |
| Delaware | 1,433,000 | 1,378,000 | -4% |
| Florida | 20,805,000 | 22,122,000 | 6% |
| Georgia | 13,874,000 | 13,779,000 | -1% |
| Hawaii | 1,260,000 | 1,234,000 | -2% |
| Idaho | 2,113,000 | 2,097,000 | -1% |
| Illinois | 10,792,000 | 10,870,000 | 1% |
| Indiana | 8,279,000 | 8,078,000 | -2% |
| Iowa | 3,571,000 | 3,306,000 | -7% |
| Kansas | 4,426,000 | 4,175,000 | -6% |
| Kentucky | 5,502,000 | 5,659,000 | 3% |
| Louisiana | 7,235,000 | 7,090,000 | -2% |
| Maine | 1,845,000 | 1,640,000 | -11% |
| Maryland | 5,042,000 | 4,976,000 | -1% |
| Massachusetts | 6,085,000 | 5,746,000 | -6% |
| Michigan | 11,954,000 | 11,169,000 | -7% |
| Minnesota | 6,183,000 | 5,267,000 | -15% |
| Mississippi | 3,914,000 | 3,930,000 | 0% |
| Missouri | 8,204,000 | 7,782,000 | -5% |
| Montana | 2,060,000 | 1,911 | -7% |
| Nebraska | 2,259,000 | 2,156 | -5% |
| Nevada | 3,044,000 | 3,016 | -1% |
| New Hampshire | 1,534,000 | 1,329,000 | -13% |
| New Jersey | 9,565,000 | 9,152,000 | -4% |
| New Mexico | 2,633,000 | 2,658,000 | 1% |
| New York | 14,453,000 | 13,464,000 | -7% |
| North Carolina | 12,435,000 | 11,782,000 | -5% |
| North Dakota | 968,000 | 1,278,000 | 32% |
| Ohio | 13,041,000 | 12,575,000 | -4% |
| Oklahoma | 5,537,000 | 5,389,000 | -3% |
| Oregon | 4,099,000 | 3,741,000 | -9% |
| Pennsylvania | 9,389,000 | 8,535,000 | -9% |
| Rhode Island | 1,594,000 | 1,479,000 | -7% |
| South Carolina | 6,906,000 | 6,619,000 | -4% |
| South Dakota | 1,236,000 | 1,169,000 | -5% |
| Tennessee | 8,958,000 | 9,139,000 | 2% |
| Texas | 39,991,000 | 39,646,000 | -1% |
| Utah | 3,893,000 | 3,748,000 | -4% |
| Vermont | 765,000 | 620,000 | -19% |
| Virginia | 8,773,000 | 7,902.900 | -4% |
| Washington | 7,882,000 | 6,740,500 | -5% |
| West Virginia | 1,874,000 | 1,600,200 | -6% |
| Wisconsin | 6,399,000 | 6,038,500 | -6% |
| Wyoming | 973,000 | 842,600 | -11% |
Despite the change in fuel usage, drivers are still burning through gas. More than 62 billion gallons of gas have been pumped into cars in the last six months. To find which state uses the most gas, our analysts compared both the number of gallons used per person and the number of gallons used per driver in each state.
We found that Montana, Rhode Island and Wyoming use the most gas, while Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts use the least. Overall, less populated but geographically larger states tend to use the most gasoline per capita.
| Rank | State | Gallons per driver | Gallons per person | Total gallons used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | 411 | 314 | 340,106,000 |
| 2 | Wyoming | 363 | 269 | 154,924,000 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 384 | 256 | 281,032,000 |
| 4 | Louisiana | 376 | 276 | 1,284,822,001 |
| 5 | Kansas | 380 | 259 | 761,603,000 |
| 6 | Texas | 398 | 241 | 7,035,088,001 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 375 | 241 | 955,302,001 |
| 8 | Mississippi | 348 | 237 | 702,016,000 |
| 9 | North Dakota | 340 | 235 | 183,465,000 |
| 10 | Alabama | 303 | 244 | 1,224,483,001 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 332 | 234 | 1,619,739,000 |
| 12 | South Dakota | 324 | 241 | 213,382,001 |
| 13 | Delaware | 295 | 247 | 244,750,001 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 337 | 217 | 979,050,001 |
| 15 | Arkansas | 311 | 222 | 669,147,000 |
| 16 | Maine | 296 | 227 | 309,824,001 |
| 17 | Missouri | 329 | 228 | 1,402,910,001 |
| 18 | Utah | 318 | 209 | 682,791,000 |
| 19 | Georgia | 327 | 230 | 2,459,062,001 |
| 20 | South Carolina | 304 | 232 | 1,187,034,000 |
| 21 | Indiana | 320 | 214 | 1,450,415,001 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 313 | 218 | 461,825,000 |
| 23 | Michigan | 296 | 206 | 2,080,715,000 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 277 | 203 | 398,273,001 |
| 25 | North Carolina | 281 | 206 | 2,147,760,001 |
| 26 | Idaho | 290 | 203 | 373,285,000 |
| 27 | Ohio | 282 | 193 | 2,281,609,001 |
| 28 | Iowa | 275 | 195 | 623,143,001 |
| 29 | West Virginia | 273 | 168 | 300,791,000 |
| 30 | New Jersey | 266 | 179 | 1,658,645,000 |
| 31 | Arizona | 253 | 201 | 1,439,055,001 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | 242 | 187 | 257,087,000 |
| 33 | Colorado | 255 | 190 | 1,095,413,000 |
| 34 | Vermont | 262 | 188 | 120,845,000 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | 261 | 191 | 1,125,594,000 |
| 36 | Minnesota | 258 | 185 | 1,056,516,000 |
| 37 | Florida | 240 | 175 | 3,773,121,000 |
| 38 | Nevada | 266 | 176 | 547,383,000 |
| 39 | Connecticut | 266 | 185 | 666,715,000 |
| 40 | Virginia | 243 | 166 | 1,435,152,000 |
| 41 | Oregon | 235 | 163 | 692,601,000 |
| 42 | Hawaii | 240 | 152 | 221,297,000 |
| 43 | Illinois | 237 | 152 | 1,948,237,000 |
| 44 | Alaska | 213 | 151 | 110,617,000 |
| 45 | Washington | 213 | 160 | 1,236,247,000 |
| 46 | Maryland | 198 | 143 | 882,633,000 |
| 47 | California | 218 | 149 | 5,876,671,000 |
| 48 | Pennsylvania | 181 | 124 | 1,614,604,000 |
| 49 | New York | 205 | 124 | 2,503,319,000 |
| 50 | Massachusetts | 215 | 151 | 1,060,447,000 |
| Gallons used between October 2021 and March 2022 | ||||
Methodology
QuoteWizard analyzed Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Energy Information Administration data to compare motor-fuel use with licensed drivers and population in each state from 2019 to 2022. We took the total gallons of gas used in each state and divided that figure by the total number of licensed drivers and people in each state.
Final rankings are a composite score based on total gallons of gas per licensed driver and gallons of gas per person in each state in 2021 and 2022. States with the highest gallons per capita and driver are considered to be the most gas-guzzling states.
To determine changes in driving habits in each state, QuoteWizard used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.
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