Pain at the Pump
Which Cities Hurt the Most
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Ordered from most to least expensive.
| Ranking | Urban Area | Avg. $ spent on gas per year - 2 driver household | Gallons used per driver daily | Miles driven per driver daily | Gas cost as pct of family income |
|---|
| 1 | Atlanta GA | $5,772 | 3.3 gal. | 65.2 mi. | 11.8 % |
| 2 | Birmingham AL | $5,464 | 3.2 | 64.7 | 13.3 % |
| 3 | Orlando FL | $5,404 | 3.0 | 60.4 | 13.0 % |
| 4 | Jacksonville FL | $5,360 | 3.0 | 61.3 | 12.7 % |
| 5 | Pensacola FL-AL | $5,173 | 2.9 | 60.6 | 13.2 % |
| 6 | Raleigh-Durham NC | $5,066 | 2.9 | 58.3 | 9.9 % |
| 7 | Nashville-Davidson TN | $5,033 | 2.9 | 58.5 | 10.8 % |
| 9 | Cape Coral FL | $4,890 | 2.6 | 54.7 | 11.1 % |
| 8 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA | $4,890 | 2.3 | 43.4 | 10.7 % |
| 10 | San Diego CA | $4,739 | 2.2 | 43.4 | 9.6 % |
| 11 | Albany-Schenectady NY | $4,718 | 2.5 | 51.8 | 9.9 % |
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland CA | $4,665 | 2.2 | 43.0 | 7.6 % |
| 13 | Indianapolis IN | $4,659 | 2.7 | 54.2 | 9.6 % |
| 14 | San Jose CA | $4,613 | 2.2 | 43.3 | 6.7 % |
| 15 | Tampa-St. Petersburg FL | $4,597 | 2.6 | 52.0 | 11.0 % |
| 16 | Richmond VA | $4,549 | 2.5 | 52.0 | 9.2 % |
| 17 | St. Louis MO-IL | $4,529 | 2.7 | 55.1 | 10.0 % |
| 18 | Charlotte NC-SC | $4,527 | 2.5 | 50.6 | 8.7 % |
| 19 | Oxnard-Ventura CA | $4,519 | 2.1 | 43.1 | 8.1 % |
| 20 | Riverside-San Bernardino CA | $4,387 | 2.0 | 39.8 | 10.2 % |
| 21 | Louisville KY-IN | $4,340 | 2.5 | 50.3 | 10.6 % |
| 22 | Little Rock AR | $4,329 | 2.5 | 52.4 | 10.5 % |
| 23 | Phoenix AZ | $4,302 | 2.2 | 43.9 | 9.1 % |
| 24 | Washington DC-VA-MD | $4,260 | 2.3 | 44.0 | 7.1 % |
| 25 | Hartford CT | $4,256 | 2.3 | 46.7 | 7.7 % |
| 26 | Seattle WA | $4,246 | 2.2 | 42.8 | 8.1 % |
| 27 | Houston TX | $4,238 | 2.3 | 46.0 | 9.4 % |
| 28 | New Haven CT | $4,224 | 2.2 | 46.0 | 8.0 % |
| 29 | Detroit MI | $4,218 | 2.4 | 47.7 | 8.5 % |
| 30 | Bridgeport-Stamford CT-NY | $4,182 | 2.2 | 43.5 | 6.1 % |
| 31 | Beaumont TX | $4,167 | 2.4 | 49.5 | 10.1 % |
| 32 | Boston MA-NH-RI | $4,117 | 2.3 | 45.0 | 7.3 % |
| 33 | Kansas City MO-KS | $4,111 | 2.5 | 51.9 | 9.3 % |
| 34 | Memphis TN-MS-AR | $4,064 | 2.3 | 47.7 | 10.2 % |
| 35 | Salt Lake City UT | $4,012 | 2.2 | 45.5 | 10.2 % |
| 36 | Tucson AZ | $4,010 | 2.2 | 43.6 | 10.2 % |
| 37 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $4,003 | 2.2 | 43.4 | 8.5 % |
| 38 | Austin TX | $3,955 | 2.3 | 45.2 | 7.9 % |
| 39 | Minneapolis-St. Paul MN | $3,912 | 2.3 | 46.5 | 6.7 % |
| 40 | Rochester NY | $3,896 | 2.1 | 43.0 | 8.5 % |
| 41 | Columbus OH | $3,884 | 2.2 | 45.6 | 7.9 % |
| 42 | Baltimore MD | $3,870 | 2.1 | 41.0 | 6.9 % |
| 43 | Virginia Beach VA | $3,859 | 2.1 | 43.0 | 7.1 % |
| 44 | Toledo OH-MI | $3,857 | 2.2 | 46.4 | 9.1 % |
| 45 | Albuquerque NM | $3,853 | 2.2 | 43.8 | 8.6 % |
| 46 | Fresno CA | $3,848 | 1.9 | 38.5 | 9.1 % |
| 47 | Milwaukee WI | $3,847 | 2.1 | 43.0 | 7.9 % |
| 48 | Grand Rapids MI | $3,841 | 2.2 | 44.8 | 9.1 % |
| 49 | Tulsa OK | $3,829 | 2.3 | 47.6 | 9.8 % |
| 50 | Buffalo NY | $3,791 | 2.0 | 41.5 | 8.2 % |
| 51 | Dayton OH | $3,733 | 2.2 | 45.7 | 8.2 % |
| 52 | Cincinnati OH-KY-IN | $3,708 | 2.2 | 43.6 | 8.0 % |
| 53 | Sacramento CA | $3,706 | 1.8 | 35.9 | 7.4 % |
| 54 | San Antonio TX | $3,655 | 2.1 | 43.3 | 9.7 % |
| 55 | Oklahoma City OK | $3,631 | 2.2 | 45.4 | 9.1 % |
| 56 | Corpus Christi TX | $3,628 | 2.2 | 45.3 | 9.8 % |
| 57 | Columbia SC | $3,609 | 2.1 | 44.2 | 7.7 % |
| 58 | Sarasota-Bradenton FL | $3,607 | 2.0 | 40.4 | 8.5 % |
| 59 | Miami FL | $3,604 | 2.0 | 38.4 | 9.9 % |
| 60 | Portland OR-WA | $3,600 | 1.9 | 38.2 | 8.0 % |
| 61 | Las Vegas NV | $3,589 | 1.8 | 37.0 | 8.9 % |
| 62 | Chicago IL-IN | $3,572 | 1.9 | 37.9 | 6.9 % |
| 63 | Providence RI-MA | $3,568 | 2.0 | 39.6 | 7.5 % |
| 64 | New York-Newark NY-NJ-CT | $3,541 | 1.8 | 35.2 | 6.9 % |
| 65 | Akron OH | $3,468 | 2.0 | 41.7 | 7.9 % |
| 66 | Springfield MA-CT | $3,449 | 1.9 | 39.8 | 7.5 % |
| 67 | Pittsburgh PA | $3,434 | 1.9 | 38.8 | 8.0 % |
| 68 | Colorado Springs CO | $3,366 | 1.9 | 39.4 | 6.9 % |
| 69 | Allentown-Bethlehem PA-NJ | $3,358 | 1.9 | 38.5 | 7.8 % |
| 70 | Denver-Aurora CO | $3,332 | 1.9 | 37.8 | 6.5 % |
| 71 | Bakersfield CA | $3,309 | 1.5 | 32.1 | 9.4 % |
| 72 | Philadelphia PA-NJ-DE-MD | $3,306 | 1.8 | 35.0 | 6.2 % |
| 73 | Cleveland OH | $3,301 | 1.9 | 39.1 | 7.6 % |
| 74 | Honolulu HI | $3,291 | 1.6 | 32.5 | 6.5 % |
| 75 | Omaha NE-IA | $3,259 | 1.9 | 37.9 | 6.7 % |
| 76 | Charleston-North Charleston SC | $3,215 | 1.9 | 38.0 | 7.2 % |
| 77 | Spokane WA | $3,125 | 1.7 | 35.3 | 8.2 % |
| 78 | Salem OR | $2,972 | 1.6 | 32.8 | 7.4 % |
| 79 | Eugene OR | $2,965 | 1.5 | 31.8 | 7.6 % |
| 80 | Boulder CO | $2,839 | 1.6 | 33.9 | 5.2 % |
| 81 | Anchorage AK | $2,760 | 1.5 | 32.2 | 5.1 % |
| 82 | El Paso TX-NM | $2,736 | 1.6 | 32.2 | 10.7 % |
- Based on a two-commuter household, gas prices of regular-grade A40 on 05/09/06
- EPA average mileage of 20.9 mpg
- Commute of 5 days per week, plus weekend driving equaling one day of normal commute
- Median income for four-person family with two wage earners (after taxes)
