Home > Close-Ups > The Most and Least Expensive Gas Stations in America

The Most and Least Expensive Gas Stations in America

Bellingham, Washington (December 2001)  During my recent trip around America, I visited 34 states and drove over 14,000 miles.  Having filled my truck's tank about 35 times during my trip, I kept a mental note of gas prices around the country, which I'll pass along here.

During my 2001 trip, the average price of gas in America was about $1.60 a gallon.  In general, gas was more expensive in the west than in the east.  The most expensive gas I found was in southern California where self-serve regular unleaded gas cost around $2.00 per gallon.  The cheapest gas I found was in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where I saw one station selling it for $1.13 per gallon, but unfortunately I had just filled my tank at $1.21.  Gas was relatively cheap throughout the south, with prices averaging around $1.35 per gallon for regular unleaded.  

Here are some photos:

Above left:  This was the cheapest place I bought gas, in Abingdon, Virginia.  

Above center:  Actually at 30 cents a gallon, this was the cheapest gas I saw.  Too bad this old pump in New Ulm, Minnesota, wasn't working any more.  This was the price of Ethyl.  Fred is even cheaper.

Above right:  The most expensive gas that I saw was in the Baker, California in the middle of the Mojave Desert.  By the way, that's the "World's Tallest Thermometer" in the background, which reads a pleasant 98 degrees.