The Fourth of July Gas Price Burden - SmartReads by SmartAsset

With the Fourth of July weekend approaching, millions of Americans are preparing to hit the road. Gas prices have fallen across the U.S. since reaching an annual peak on May 21, offering some relief before one of the year’s busiest driving periods. But both the extent of the price decline and the financial burden of filling a tank vary widely by state. Lower prices and higher household incomes make a fill-up relatively affordable in some states, while gas costs consume a larger share of household income in others.

SmartAsset analyzed changes in average gas prices across all 50 states between May 21 and June 28, 2026. The study also calculated each state’s current gas-price burden — the cost of filling a 15-gallon tank as a share of median household income.

Key Findings

Gas prices have declined in every state. Since May 21, gas prices have fallen in every state, led by Colorado which has seen a 29.2% drop in the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline.
Prices fell by at least 20% in 13 states. Except for Colorado, all of the states with the biggest price drops are in the central and southern United States.
The gas-price burden remains highest in West Virginia. As in SmartAsset’s May study, the state ranks No. 1 for gas-price burden despite a pump price of just $3.80 per gallon. There, the cost of a fill-up equals 4.6% of estimated median weekly household income.
Maryland has the lowest gas-price burden. In the Old Line State, the cost of a fill-up equals 2.7% of median weekly household income.
Three Pacific states continue to have the nation’s highest pump prices. A gallon of regular gasoline averages $5.52 in Hawaii, $5.46 in California and $5.20 in Washington.

Methodology

The average retail gasoline price for each of the 50 states, reported by AAA as of June 28, 2026, was compared with estimated current median household income. Estimated current median household income was calculated by adjusting each state’s 2024 median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 1-year estimates using growth in the Employment Cost Index for private-industry wages and salaries from the 2024 annual average through the first quarter of 2026. Estimated annual median household income was divided by 52 to express the cost of a 15-gallon fill-up as a share of weekly income. AAA gasoline prices from May 21, 2026, were used to measure the change through June 28. Source data providers are not affiliated with, and do not endorse or sponsor, this study or its findings.