The 5 states with the lowest average cost of gas — and the 5 with the highest

Gas pumps at a gas station.Supachai Panyaviwat/Getty Images

• The American Automobile Association tracks average gas prices in every state.
• Mississippi has the lowest gas prices with an average cost of $2.937 per gallon.

Gas prices have fluctuated dramatically over the last few years, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration, or EIA.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the price of gas to fall to a national average of $2.258 per gallon in 2020. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prices skyrocketed to an average of $4.059 per gallon.

The American Automobile Association, or AAA, reports that the national average sits at $3.491 as of July 1. Costs vary by state depending on factors such as distance from supply, retail competition, and local taxes, according to the EIA.

California, for example, has some of the highest gasoline taxes out of any state and uses a special fuel formulation due to environmental regulations, contributing to its higher-than-average prices.

Here are the states with the highest and lowest gas prices in the US, according to AAA data.