Infographic: The Cheapest States for Gas, Just in Time for Your Pre-Winter Road Trip

gas prices by state
gas prices by state

(Infographic: Cortney Cassidy)

If you want to see how big a difference geography can play in gas prices, have we got the chart for you.

Actually, the chart is courtesy of GasBuddy.com, which tracks gas prices nationwide and reports them through their site and mobile app. As you can see, if you’re looking to plan a road trip before winter hits, almost all of the cheapest states for gas are in the Midwest and South (New Jersey and neighboring Delaware being outliers).

The cheapest state of all? Missouri. This has come in handy for anyone making World Series pilgrimages to see the Royals. And it’s no surprise that the two most expensive states for gas are away from the mainland: Alaska and Hawaii — the latter being the only state where gas is over $4 a gallon. But who wants to spend their time in Hawaii driving, anyway?

(The site gathers its statistics through a combination of user reports, credit-card transaction data, and reports from the gas stations themselves.)

Related: 15 Apps for the Best Road Trip of Your Life

GasBuddy also tracks the cheapest cities for gas by miles per gallon; here are the top five, according to the most recent data:

1. Chattanooga, Tenn., 2.669.           

2. St. Louis, Mo., 2.681.

3. Greenville, S.C., 2.701.

4. Richmond, Va., 2.702.

5. Spartanburg, S.C., 2.708.

And the five most budget-busting cities, if you’re wondering:

1. Honolulu, Hawaii, 3.944.

2. Anchorage, Alaska, 3.606. 

3. San Francisco, Calif., 3.544.     

4. Buffalo, N.Y., 3.482.  

5. Santa Barbara, Calif., 3.450.      

gas prices by month
gas prices by month

For a larger view, click on the infographic. (Courtesy: GasBuddy.com)

It’s worth adding that according to the site’s gas data, this is the cheapest time for a road trip in America in over two years, and it’s not even close. Since late June, gas prices have dropped nationwide by over 60 cents per gallon. So if you’d like to spend your cash on diner pancakes instead of the pump, you’d best load up your car now.

WATCH: Gas prices hit 4-year low

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