How the Price of Gas Compares to Average Salaries in Every State

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After reaching a historic high of over $5 per gallon in 2022, gas prices have finally come back down to around $3 per gallon, with the average price in the U.S. at $3.08 as of March 3, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

However, prices are higher in some states than others, and these prices don’t necessarily correspond to higher local wages. To find out how the price of gas compares to average wages in every state, CashNetUSA collected the average price of gas per gallon in every state, then used U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data to calculate the percentage of each area’s local hourly salary needed to afford a gallon of gas.

Here’s a look at the percentage of each state’s local hourly wage needed to afford one gallon of gas at local prices.

Alabama

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.5%

Alaska

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 13.9%

Arizona

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.1%

Arkansas

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 16.2%

California

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 17.7%

Colorado

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 12.9%

Connecticut

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 12.9%

Delaware

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.4%

Florida

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.3%

Georgia

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.8%

Hawaii

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 19.2%

Idaho

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 17%

Illinois

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 16.6%

Indiana

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.9%

Iowa

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.6%

Kansas

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.5%

Kentucky

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.3%

Louisiana

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.3%

Maine

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15%

Maryland

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 12.9%

Massachusetts

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 11.8%

Michigan

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.8%

Minnesota

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 13.8%

Mississippi

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 16.4%

Missouri

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.5%

Montana

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 16%

Nebraska

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.4%

Nevada

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 18.3%

New Hampshire

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14%

New Jersey

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 12.5%

New Mexico

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.8%

New York

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 13%

North Carolina

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.8%

North Dakota

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.4%

Ohio

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.6%

Oklahoma

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.2%

Oregon

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 16.1%

Pennsylvania

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.8%

Rhode Island

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 13.7%

South Carolina

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.1%

South Dakota

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.7%

Tennessee

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.3%

Texas

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 13.8%

Utah

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 15.7%

Vermont

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.3%

Virginia

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14%

Washington

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.7%

West Virginia

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 17.8%

Wisconsin

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.9%

Wyoming

% hourly wage for one gallon of gas: 14.9%

Editor’s note: Data was sourced from CashNetUSA and is accurate as of Jan. 6, 2025.

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