Mapped: The Average Wedding Cost in Every U.S. State

Where Gas Is Most Expensive in America

Where you fill up can make a significant difference in what you pay at the pump.

This map shows average regular gasoline prices across the U.S. using September 2026 data from AAA Fuel Tracker. Prices are per gallon and rounded to the nearest cent.

Where Gas Prices Run Highest and Lowest

The broader divide is regional. The highest fuel prices are concentrated in the West, while much of the South sits below the $4.48 national average.

The table below ranks prices from highest to lowest in the 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Part of the difference reflects the journey fuel takes to reach a station. Longer distances from refineries, ports, and distribution terminals can mean higher transportation costs, which can push up retail prices.

States such as Louisiana and Texas also benefit from extensive oil and refining infrastructure, helping keep distribution costs relatively low.

Why California Costs So Much More

California’s premium goes beyond taxes. The Golden State requires a special gasoline blend designed to reduce air pollution, which costs more to produce. State environmental programs also add compliance costs for fuel suppliers, alongside state and local taxes.

The state’s specialized fuel comes from a relatively limited pool of suppliers. California is geographically separated from major U.S. refining centers along the Gulf Coast, and only some refineries elsewhere can produce gasoline that meets its requirements. Bringing in additional supply is therefore more complicated than simply sourcing cheaper fuel from another state.

This becomes especially important when a refinery shuts down for maintenance or experiences an unexpected outage. Replacement supplies can take time to arrive, leaving the market more vulnerable to price spikes. The same factors that keep California expensive under normal conditions can make disruptions more painful for drivers.

No Relief This Fall

Gas prices usually ease after the summer driving season. Demand falls as travel slows, while cooler weather allows refiners to use less expensive gasoline components that would evaporate too easily in summer heat. The seasonal change in fuel requirements can help reduce costs even without a decline in global oil prices.

This September, however, that usual pattern has been disrupted. Expensive crude oil and continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz have pushed up prices at the pump. The national average of $4.48 per gallon is the highest on record for late September.

Local advantages offer only partial protection from those pressures. Gasoline prices generally track crude oil costs, so even states with lower distribution costs and taxes remain exposed to oil-market disruptions.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To compare these prices with major global events, check out Oil Prices and Geopolitical Events on Voronoi.

How Student Debt Varies Across the U.S.

Student debt can follow borrowers long after graduation, with balances shaped by factors ranging from education levels to where borrowers live.

This map shows average federal student loan debt per borrower using Federal Student Aid figures as of March 2026, compiled via the Education Data Initiative. Balances include principal and interest but exclude private student loans.

Where Student Loan Balances Are Highest

More than 40 million individuals, or about one in six American adults, have student debt today. Total federal student loan debt has surpassed $1.8 trillion, making it roughly comparable to the size of South Korea’s economy.

Washington, D.C., stands apart with an average balance of $55,846. Maryland, in a distant second, has the highest average among the 50 states at $45,589, followed by Georgia ($43,813), Virginia ($41,916), and Florida ($41,162).

The following data table ranks states by their average federal debt per borrower.

States in the country’s interior tend to have lower student debt averages. North Dakota ($30,543) is lowest nationwide, followed by South Dakota ($31,705) and Iowa ($31,885).

Geography can be misleading, however, because these figures are based on a borrower’s state of residence rather than the location of the college they attended. A state’s position therefore reflects the debt carried by people living there, not simply the tuition charged by local universities.

Why D.C. Stands Out

The nation’s capital has an average balance roughly $10,000 higher than the nearest state. One likely factor is D.C.’s high concentration of advanced-degree holders. The District leads the nation in higher education, including graduate education, as well as income, supported in part by high-paying government-adjacent private-sector jobs.

Two-thirds of adults in D.C. have a bachelor’s degree, while more than a third of residents aged 25 and older hold a graduate or professional degree. Meanwhile, median household income tops $109,000, well ahead of any state.

Graduate education, including master’s degrees and law school, can add another layer of borrowing after a bachelor’s degree. Borrowers with more education are more likely to carry larger student loan balances, meaning D.C.’s outlier figure may partly reflect its highly educated population and greater exposure to graduate-school borrowing.

Bigger Balances, Bigger Paychecks?

The D.C. example points to a broader consideration: loan size is only one part of the repayment challenge. Income, employment, and degree completion also matter.

Borrowers with less education are more likely to fall behind on student loan payments, even though they have often taken out less debt than those with more advanced degrees. A smaller loan can still be difficult to repay without the earnings that a completed degree may help provide.

This is important context given that more than 40% of students who attend college never graduate. That leaves millions of Americans carrying student debt without the potential earnings benefit of a completed degree.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To explore which degrees are associated with the most debt, check out Ranked: Median Student Debt for a U.S. College Degree on Voronoi.