Gas Price Guides
Reference guides to how U.S. gasoline prices are measured, built, and have moved over time. Each one uses the same U.S. Energy Information Administration data that runs the rest of this site, with the charts and tables drawn from our own database. Claims that go beyond the data are attributed to named sources.
- Guide · State prices
Why gas prices differ so much by state
Taxes, distance from refineries, fuel-blend rules, and local market structure explain most of the gap between the cheapest and most expensive states. This guide measures each one with EIA data.
- Guide · Methodology
How the EIA gas price survey works
Where the weekly national average comes from: who the EIA surveys, when prices are collected, how state and regional figures are built, and what the numbers do and do not cover.
- Guide · Wholesale
How wholesale gasoline prices flow to the pump
Crude oil becomes a wholesale gasoline price at trading hubs, then passes through terminals, distributors, and stations. This guide follows that chain and measures the lag with daily and weekly EIA data.
- Guide · Seasonality
Seasonal gas price patterns explained
Month-by-month price patterns for the U.S. and the nine states the EIA surveys weekly, measured over 22 full years of data, and how the regional seasons differ.
- Guide · History
A history of major U.S. gas price spikes, 1970s to present
The 1973 embargo, 1979, the Gulf War, Katrina, 2008, 2022, and 2026: what caused each spike, how high prices went, and how long they took to come back down.