Georgia had the cheapest regular gasoline in the United States on October 12, 2026, at an average of $3.805 a gallon, followed by Texas at $3.819 and Ohio at $3.874 [1][2]. California was the most expensive at $6.308, ahead of Hawaii at $5.625 and Washington at $5.449 [1][3]. The national average for regular was $4.356, up $1.27, or 41.3%, from a year earlier, and the gap between the cheapest and the priciest state was $2.50 a gallon [1].
Which states have the cheapest gas right now?
The ten cheapest states for regular gasoline on October 12, 2026 were all in the South and the Midwest: Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama [1]. Twelve states averaged less than $4.00 a gallon; Missouri, at $3.993, was the last of them, and Oklahoma just missed at $4.008 [1].
Georgia's lead is recent. One month earlier, the cheapest state was Indiana at $3.589 a gallon, and Georgia averaged $4.011 [1]. Georgia's average then fell 20.6 cents in the month to October 12, including 4.4 cents in the last week, while Indiana rose 31.8 cents [1][2]. Ohio's price dropped 30.4 cents in a month, the largest monthly decline of any state [1]. A year earlier, the cheapest state was Oklahoma at $2.572 a gallon; it now ranks 13th after a 55.8% increase [1].
Which states have the most expensive gas?
Six states averaged $5.00 or more for regular: California ($6.308), Hawaii ($5.625), Washington ($5.449), Nevada ($5.445), Alaska ($5.028) and Oregon ($5.000) [1]. Behind them, Idaho ($4.892), Utah ($4.808), Arizona ($4.700) and Illinois ($4.697) complete the ten most expensive [1].
California also had the highest prices for every other grade: $6.721 for premium and $8.380 for diesel [1][3]. Nevada had the largest one-month increase of any state, 37.3 cents, followed by Michigan at 34.1 cents and California at 33.5 cents [1].
Gas prices in all 50 states and DC, ranked
The table ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia from the cheapest to the most expensive average price of regular gasoline on October 12, 2026. Changes are in cents per gallon against the price 1 week, 1 month and 1 year earlier; the 1-year change is also shown in percent. Premium and diesel are the same day's state averages [1].
| Rank | State | Regular | 1-week change (cents) | 1-month change (cents) | 1-year change (cents, %) | Premium | Diesel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | $3.805 | -4.4 | -20.6 | +93.1 (+32.4%) | $4.686 | $5.726 |
| 2 | Texas | $3.819 | -8.6 | -3.6 | +115.4 (+43.3%) | $4.682 | $5.668 |
| 3 | Ohio | $3.874 | -0.3 | -30.4 | +107.4 (+38.4%) | $4.964 | $6.090 |
| 4 | Indiana | $3.907 | +16.6 | +31.8 | +104.8 (+36.7%) | $5.013 | $6.638 |
| 5 | North Carolina | $3.913 | -11.4 | -6.0 | +106.1 (+37.2%) | $4.722 | $5.842 |
| 6 | Mississippi | $3.925 | -1.6 | +6.9 | +126.5 (+47.6%) | $4.747 | $5.870 |
| 7 | Tennessee | $3.931 | -0.8 | +0.2 | +122.8 (+45.4%) | $4.777 | $5.998 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $3.934 | -0.1 | +4.4 | +124.5 (+46.3%) | $4.796 | $5.804 |
| 9 | Arkansas | $3.959 | -0.1 | -0.3 | +128.6 (+48.1%) | $4.815 | $5.909 |
| 10 | Alabama | $3.973 | -0.6 | +5.9 | +122.7 (+44.7%) | $4.835 | $5.923 |
| 11 | South Carolina | $3.988 | +7.1 | +5.6 | +120.4 (+43.2%) | $4.837 | $5.770 |
| 12 | Missouri | $3.993 | -4.0 | +1.2 | +125.6 (+45.9%) | $4.718 | $5.997 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | $4.008 | +2.9 | +10.9 | +143.6 (+55.8%) | $4.764 | $5.849 |
| 14 | Kansas | $4.012 | -4.1 | +7.9 | +123.6 (+44.5%) | $4.748 | $6.013 |
| 15 | Kentucky | $4.024 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +129.5 (+47.5%) | $5.017 | $6.115 |
| 16 | Florida | $4.068 | +0.8 | -8.4 | +114.8 (+39.3%) | $4.843 | $5.863 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $4.128 | -3.7 | -4.5 | +126.2 (+44.0%) | $5.120 | $5.992 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $4.134 | -1.4 | +3.7 | +142.4 (+52.5%) | $5.309 | $6.187 |
| 19 | Virginia | $4.167 | +4.6 | +2.8 | +120.9 (+40.9%) | $5.027 | $6.225 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $4.187 | -2.5 | +5.0 | +132.7 (+46.4%) | $5.035 | $6.036 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $4.222 | +3.1 | +6.8 | +134.1 (+46.5%) | $5.082 | $6.007 |
| 22 | Colorado | $4.237 | +10.6 | -8.5 | +131.5 (+45.0%) | $4.968 | $6.310 |
| 22 | Iowa | $4.237 | +12.5 | +8.8 | +144.4 (+51.7%) | $5.158 | $6.028 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $4.247 | +4.0 | +1.6 | +134.9 (+46.5%) | $5.256 | $6.125 |
| 25 | Delaware | $4.251 | +1.7 | -10.4 | +128.3 (+43.2%) | $5.142 | $6.321 |
| 26 | Maryland | $4.263 | +3.4 | +6.5 | +119.2 (+38.8%) | $5.162 | $6.368 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $4.263 | -1.3 | +13.2 | +130.7 (+44.2%) | $5.150 | $6.392 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $4.288 | -5.2 | -6.6 | +129.5 (+43.3%) | $5.429 | $6.335 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $4.306 | -3.4 | +4.7 | +132.3 (+44.4%) | $5.345 | $6.348 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $4.310 | +0.5 | -10.0 | +129.4 (+42.9%) | $5.175 | $6.323 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | $4.320 | -3.3 | +0.1 | +127.5 (+41.9%) | $5.368 | $6.324 |
| 32 | Maine | $4.384 | -1.4 | +7.4 | +133.6 (+43.8%) | $5.419 | $6.454 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $4.395 | +5.8 | +6.9 | +154.8 (+54.4%) | $5.142 | $5.978 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $4.409 | -4.4 | -2.0 | +131.6 (+42.5%) | $5.446 | $6.439 |
| 35 | Vermont | $4.421 | -0.7 | +4.0 | +127.2 (+40.4%) | $5.402 | $6.384 |
| 36 | District of Columbia | $4.451 | 0.0 | +14.6 | +122.6 (+38.0%) | $5.469 | $6.476 |
| 37 | New York | $4.455 | -1.9 | +7.1 | +129.3 (+40.9%) | $5.386 | $6.513 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $4.463 | -1.7 | -3.0 | +119.2 (+36.4%) | $5.300 | $6.542 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $4.489 | +3.9 | +1.5 | +145.2 (+47.8%) | $5.074 | $6.180 |
| 40 | Montana | $4.503 | -0.9 | +3.3 | +140.9 (+45.5%) | $5.211 | $6.126 |
| 41 | Michigan | $4.656 | +20.0 | +34.1 | +173.7 (+59.5%) | $5.883 | $6.489 |
| 42 | Illinois | $4.697 | +3.2 | +20.0 | +147.5 (+45.8%) | $5.867 | $6.578 |
| 43 | Arizona | $4.700 | -4.7 | +11.9 | +121.7 (+34.9%) | $5.374 | $6.200 |
| 44 | Utah | $4.808 | -11.4 | +10.3 | +145.5 (+43.4%) | $5.336 | $6.279 |
| 45 | Idaho | $4.892 | -6.1 | +10.7 | +143.3 (+41.4%) | $5.457 | $6.370 |
| 46 | Oregon | $5.000 | -4.3 | -10.2 | +90.9 (+22.2%) | $5.538 | $6.747 |
| 47 | Alaska | $5.028 | +0.1 | -4.1 | +115.6 (+29.9%) | $5.466 | $6.551 |
| 48 | Nevada | $5.445 | -3.8 | +37.3 | +155.6 (+40.0%) | $6.031 | $6.723 |
| 49 | Washington | $5.449 | -3.6 | -10.9 | +96.8 (+21.6%) | $5.968 | $7.276 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $5.625 | +0.3 | +20.0 | +114.0 (+25.4%) | $6.143 | $7.211 |
| 51 | California | $6.308 | -8.4 | +33.5 | +164.5 (+35.3%) | $6.721 | $8.380 |
Source: DataPorium's daily local gas prices, state averages in US dollars per gallon for October 12, 2026, with changes from October 5, 2026, one month earlier and one year earlier [1]. Ties share a rank.
Why is gas so much more expensive in California than in Georgia?
On October 12, 2026, a gallon of regular cost $2.503 more in California than in Georgia, so California's average was 65.8% higher [1]. At those averages, 15 gallons of regular cost $57.08 in Georgia and $94.62 in California [1].
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) lists the main reasons pump prices differ by region: state and local taxes, the distance from refineries and pipelines, supply disruptions such as refinery outages, local competition and operating costs, and environmental programs that require special fuel blends [4]. For California it points to a distinct gasoline blend made by relatively few refineries, stricter reformulated-gasoline rules and a higher gasoline tax than most states; when a refinery has problems, supply from other regions can take a long time to arrive [4]. The ranking shows a clear regional pattern: the ten cheapest states are in the South and the Midwest, and the six states at $5.00 or more are the three West Coast states plus Hawaii, Alaska and Nevada [1].
On October 12, 2026, regular gas ranged from $3.805 a gallon in Georgia to $6.308 in California, and the U.S. average of $4.356 was 41.3% higher than a year earlier.
How much have gas prices risen in a year?
Every state's average for regular was higher on October 12, 2026 than a year earlier. The national average rose from $3.083 to $4.356 [1]. The increase ranged from 21.6% in Washington and 22.2% in Oregon to 59.5% in Michigan, where regular rose $1.737 a gallon to $4.656 [1][5]. Oklahoma (+55.8%), New Mexico (+54.4%) and Wisconsin (+52.5%) followed [1].
Because the West Coast was already expensive a year ago, its percentage increases were the smallest: Hawaii rose 25.4% and Alaska 29.9% [1]. That narrowed the gap in percentage terms, but not in dollars: California rose $1.645 a gallon, more than any state except Michigan [1].
The last week was calmer. The national average for regular fell 0.9 cents from October 5 to October 12, 2026 [1]. Michigan (+20.0 cents) and Indiana (+16.6 cents) had the largest weekly increases, while North Carolina and Utah fell 11.4 cents each [1].
What about premium and diesel?
The national average was $5.246 for premium and $6.266 for diesel on October 12, 2026 [1]. Diesel showed the sharpest rise of any grade: up $2.60 a gallon, or 71%, from $3.665 a year earlier [1].
- Cheapest diesel: Texas ($5.668), Georgia ($5.726) and South Carolina ($5.770) [1].
- Priciest diesel: California ($8.380), Washington ($7.276) and Hawaii ($7.211) [1].
- Cheapest premium: Texas ($4.682), Georgia ($4.686) and Missouri ($4.718) [1].
- Largest premium markup over regular: Michigan ($1.227 a gallon) and Wisconsin ($1.175); the smallest was California's ($0.413) [1].
How we ranked
The ranking uses DataPorium's daily local gas prices: average retail pump prices in US dollars per gallon, updated daily, for the US, every state and DC, their metro areas and counties [1]. States are ranked by the average price of regular gasoline on the newest day in the data, October 12, 2026, which was the price date for all 51 areas. The 1-week, 1-month and 1-year changes compare that day with the same series one week, one month and one year earlier. This daily series is separate from the weekly government survey of retail prices and is not combined with it. State pages on DataPorium also show the cheapest and priciest county in each state, for example Georgia, California and Michigan [2][3][5]. The full daily series is on the DataPorium gas prices page [1].
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the cheapest gas?
Georgia, at $3.805 a gallon for regular on October 12, 2026, followed by Texas at $3.819 and Ohio at $3.874 [1].
Which state has the most expensive gas?
California, at $6.308 a gallon for regular on October 12, 2026, followed by Hawaii at $5.625 and Washington at $5.449 [1].
What is the average price of gas in the US?
The national average for regular was $4.356 a gallon on October 12, 2026, $1.27 more than a year earlier [1]. Premium averaged $5.246 and diesel $6.266 [1].
Why are gas prices different in each state?
Taxes, the distance from refineries and pipelines, supply disruptions, local competition and fuel blend rules all affect pump prices, according to the EIA [4]. California's special blend and higher tax help explain why it was $2.50 a gallon above Georgia on October 12, 2026 [1][4].
Sources & References
- [1] DataPorium Energy, Gas Prices (DataPorium's daily local gas prices by state, October 12, 2026)
- [2] DataPorium Local Economy, Georgia (state gas prices and economy)
- [3] DataPorium Local Economy, California (state gas prices and economy)
- [4] U.S. Energy Information Administration, Regional gasoline price differences (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [5] DataPorium Local Economy, Michigan (state gas prices and economy)
