The amount of money spent on gasoline in the United States increased 11 percent between 2016 and 2017, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, reaching a nominal per capita average of $1,072. The increase was the first since 2012.
Total gasoline expenditures were $348 billion. The increase is attributed to a rise in gasoline prices. In 2017, gas averaged $2.44 a gallon, 12 percent higher than the previous year.
States with smaller population densities had significantly higher gasoline expenditures per capita than the national average. Residents of these states also have less access to alternative forms of transportation and have the highest in vehicle miles traveled per capita.
Wyoming had the largest average motor gasoline expenditures per capita nationwide, according to the Key Statistics and Indicators section of agency’s State Energy Data System report. Since the agency began recording gasoline expenditures in 1970, Wyoming has topped the list every year but one. In 2017, expenditures averaged $1,441.
More densely populated states have lower gasoline expenditures per capita. Residents often have access to mass transit and alternative modes of transportation.
New York had the lowest average expenditures per capita at $708, while the District of Columbia’s average was $395. In the early 2000s, District of Columbia expended its public transportation infrastructure and has had the lowest expenditure average since.