Our Nation’s Highways 2026
Motor Fuel
The millions of motor vehicles described in the previous chapter all require an energy source to operate, and as such, refueling vehicles at gas stations is a familiar task for most American drivers. The U.S. uses four major categories of energy sources for transportation: petroleum products (gasoline and diesel), biofuels (such as ethanol, which can be blended into gasoline), natural gas, and electricity. According to motor vehicle registrations of cars, trucks, and buses, 96 percent of vehicles have engines that use gasoline, gasohol, or diesel. Among the remaining vehicles, 3 percent are hybrid vehicles and 1 percent are plug-in electric vehicles. A smaller number of vehicles use natural gas, propane, or other sources. Internal combustion and hybrid vehicles consumed 172 billion gallons of fuel. Of this total, 74 percent (127 billion gallons) was gasoline, and 26 percent (the remaining 45 billion gallons) was special fuels such as diesel. In total, this amounts to an average of 577 gallons of fuel consumed per vehicle in 2024.
Drive Through History
January 6, 1905
The world’s first purpose-built gas station is established in St. Louis, Missouri. At a time when motorists relied on stores or curbside pumps, the Automobile Gasoline Company constructed a dedicated facility featuring a simple gravity-fed tank connected to a garden hose, marking a pivotal shift toward the modern drive-in service station.
As seen in Table 6-1, highway fuel use has increased substantially from the 92 billion gallons in 1970 to 172 billion gallons in 2024. However, highway fuel use in 2024 was still 8 billion gallons lower than the peak of 180 billion gallons in 2019. Highway use of gasoline increased from 86 billion gallons in 1970 to 127 billion in 2024 but was still 9 billion lower than the peak of 136 billion in 2014. Special fuel use increased from 7 billion gallons in 1970 to 44.5 billion gallons in 2024. Highway use of special fuel in 2024 reached a peak of over 45 billion in 2022. While special fuel use appeared to decrease from 2023 to 2024, a change in the estimation of non-highway fuel use confounds the comparison to previous years. Table 6-1 also shows that special fuel use increased more rapidly than gasoline use over the past 50 years with special fuels such as diesel becoming a larger portion of highway fuel use over time.
Highway Fuel Use Trends, 1970-2024
| Year | Gasoline (billions of gallons) |
Change in Gasoline Use from Previous Year |
Diesel (billions of gallons) |
Change in Diesel Use from Previous Year |
All Fuels (billions of gallons) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 86 | 7 | 92 | ||
| 1971 | 90 | 5% | 8 | 13% | 98 |
| 1972 | 97 | 7% | 9 | 12% | 105 |
| 1973 | 101 | 4% | 10 | 15% | 110 |
| 1974 | 97 | -4% | 10 | 0% | 106 |
| 1975 | 99 | 3% | 10 | -2% | 109 |
| 1976 | 105 | 6% | 11 | 11% | 116 |
| 1977 | 108 | 3% | 12 | 9% | 120 |
| 1978 | 112 | 4% | 13 | 10% | 125 |
| 1979 | 108 | -4% | 14 | 9% | 122 |
| 1980 | 101 | -6% | 14 | -2% | 115 |
| 1981 | 100 | -2% | 15 | 8% | 114 |
| 1982 | 98 | -1% | 15 | 0% | 113 |
| 1983 | 100 | 2% | 16 | 7% | 116 |
| 1984 | 101 | 1% | 17 | 8% | 119 |
| 1985 | 104 | 2% | 18 | 3% | 121 |
| 1986 | 107 | 3% | 18 | 4% | 125 |
| 1987 | 108 | 2% | 19 | 4% | 128 |
| 1988 | 110 | 1% | 20 | 5% | 130 |
| 1989 | 111 | 1% | 21 | 6% | 132 |
| 1990 | 110 | -1% | 21 | 0% | 131 |
| 1991 | 108 | -1% | 21 | -3% | 129 |
| 1992 | 111 | 3% | 22 | 6% | 133 |
| 1993 | 114 | 2% | 24 | 8% | 137 |
| 1994 | 116 | 2% | 25 | 7% | 141 |
| 1995 | 117 | 1% | 26 | 4% | 143 |
| 1996 | 120 | 2% | 27 | 4% | 147 |
| 1997 | 121 | 1% | 29 | 8% | 150 |
| 1998 | 125 | 3% | 30 | 3% | 155 |
| 1999 | 129 | 3% | 32 | 6% | 161 |
| 2000 | 129 | 0% | 33 | 5% | 162 |
| 2001 | 130 | 1% | 33 | 0% | 163 |
| 2002 | 133 | 3% | 35 | 4% | 168 |
| 2003 | 135 | 1% | 35 | 1% | 170 |
| 2004 | 136 | 1% | 37 | 6% | 174 |
| 2005 | 135 | -1% | 39 | 5% | 174 |
| 2006 | 135 | 0% | 40 | 3% | 175 |
| 2007 | 135 | 0% | 41 | 2% | 176 |
| 2008 | 132 | -2% | 39 | -5% | 171 |
| 2009 | 133 | 1% | 35 | -9% | 168 |
| 2010 | 134 | 1% | 37 | 4% | 170 |
| 2011 | 131 | -2% | 37 | 1% | 168 |
| 2012 | 131 | 0% | 37 | 1% | 168 |
| 2013 | 131 | 0% | 38 | 3% | 170 |
| 2014 | 136 | 4% | 40 | 4% | 176 |
| 2015 | 132 | -3% | 41 | 2% | 173 |
| 2016 | 136 | 3% | 41 | 2% | 177 |
| 2017 | 135 | 0% | 43 | 3% | 178 |
| 2018 | 135 | 0% | 42 | -1% | 178 |
| 2019 | 136 | 1% | 44 | 4% | 180 |
| 2020 | 117 | -14% | 42 | -5% | 159 |
| 2021 | 129 | 10% | 45 | 8% | 174 |
| 2022 | 127 | -1% | 45 | 0% | 172 |
| 2023 | 132 | 4% | 45 | 0% | 177 |
| 2024 | 127 | -3% | 44 | -3% | 171 |
Table 6-2 shows the annual change in gasoline and special fuel use. Overall, the table shows that fuel use usually increases from year to year and that special fuel use has been growing at a faster rate than gasoline. The largest annual increase in gasoline use was a 10 percent increase in 2021, which followed the largest decrease in gasoline use of 14 percent in 2020 . The second largest decrease in gasoline use occurred in 1980 (6 percent). Special fuel use experienced significant increases in the early 1970s with a 15 percent increase in 1973. While special fuels such as diesel use dropped significantly in 2020, the two largest decreases were 5 percent in 2008 and 9 percent in 2009 (during the Great Recession).
Tables 6-3 and 6-4 show that gasoline and special fuel use vary substantially across the States. Highway use of gasoline ranged from lows of 98 million in D.C. and 211 million gallons in Alaska to a high of 14 billion gallons in Texas. The five States with the largest gasoline consumption for highway use – Texas, California (12 billion), Florida (8 billion), New York (4.9 billion), and North Carolina (4.8 billion) – used 44 billion gallons of gas or about 34 percent of total gasoline consumption for highway use.
Special fuel use also varies considerably by State. Total special fuel consumption ranged from lows of 14 million in D.C. and 45 million in Hawaii to a high of 6.5 billion gallons in Texas. The five States with the greatest special fuels consumption – Texas, California (3.1 billion), Florida (2.0 billion), Ohio (1.7 billion), and Pennsylvania (1.6 billion) – used 15 billion gallons of special fuel or about one-third (33 percent) of total special fuel consumption. Nationwide, the ratio of special fuel to gasoline consumption is about 0.34, meaning 1 gallon of special fuel consumed for every 3 gallons of gasoline. The lowest ratio is 0.11 in Hawaii, meaning 1 gallon of special fuel consumed for every 9 gallons of gasoline. Wyoming is the only State that consumed more special fuel than gasoline with a ratio of 1.18 (about 6 gallons of special fuel for every 5 gallons of gasoline).
Gasoline Consumption by State, 2024
| State | Gasoline (millions of gallons) |
|---|---|
| Texas | 14,081 |
| California | 12,119 |
| Florida | 8,333 |
| New York | 4,871 |
| North Carolina | 4,837 |
| Georgia | 4,611 |
| Ohio | 4,531 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,231 |
| Illinois | 3,924 |
| Michigan | 3,874 |
| Virginia | 3,816 |
| New Jersey | 3,401 |
| Tennessee | 3,204 |
| Alabama | 3,028 |
| Missouri | 2,970 |
| Arizona | 2,774 |
| Indiana | 2,773 |
| South Carolina | 2,507 |
| Massachusetts | 2,405 |
| Washington | 2,356 |
| Maryland | 2,182 |
| Colorado | 2,169 |
| Wisconsin | 2,118 |
| Kentucky | 2,084 |
| Minnesota | 2,075 |
| Louisiana | 1,950 |
| Oklahoma | 1,778 |
| Mississippi | 1,556 |
| Connecticut | 1,420 |
| Iowa | 1,383 |
| Arkansas | 1,364 |
| Oregon | 1,287 |
| Kansas | 1,272 |
| Utah | 1,220 |
| Nevada | 1,114 |
| New Mexico | 887 |
| Nebraska | 821 |
| West Virginia | 697 |
| Idaho | 658 |
| New Hampshire | 646 |
| Maine | 573 |
| Montana | 507 |
| Delaware | 462 |
| South Dakota | 428 |
| Hawaii | 395 |
| North Dakota | 371 |
| Rhode Island | 328 |
| Wyoming | 316 |
| Vermont | 261 |
| Alaska | 211 |
| District of Columbia | 98 |
Special Fuel Consumption by State, 2024
| State | Special Fuel (millions of gallons) |
|---|---|
| Texas | 6,502 |
| California | 3,145 |
| Florida | 1,965 |
| Ohio | 1,700 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,577 |
| Illinois | 1,494 |
| New York | 1,450 |
| Indiana | 1,296 |
| North Carolina | 1,198 |
| Virginia | 1,157 |
| Georgia | 1,154 |
| Tennessee | 1,136 |
| Arizona | 1,058 |
| Oklahoma | 999 |
| Missouri | 983 |
| Alabama | 965 |
| Michigan | 941 |
| South Carolina | 923 |
| Kentucky | 853 |
| Wisconsin | 841 |
| Iowa | 790 |
| New Jersey | 783 |
| Louisiana | 747 |
| Mississippi | 746 |
| Arkansas | 745 |
| Minnesota | 727 |
| Washington | 692 |
| New Mexico | 674 |
| Colorado | 651 |
| Oregon | 610 |
| Kansas | 570 |
| Utah | 567 |
| Maryland | 542 |
| Nebraska | 501 |
| West Virginia | 453 |
| Nevada | 431 |
| Massachusetts | 419 |
| Wyoming | 374 |
| Idaho | 373 |
| Montana | 294 |
| North Dakota | 289 |
| South Dakota | 259 |
| Maine | 191 |
| Connecticut | 181 |
| Alaska | 162 |
| New Hampshire | 130 |
| Rhode Island | 99 |
| Delaware | 76 |
| Vermont | 60 |
| Hawaii | 45 |
| District of Columbia | 14 |
Table 6-5 illustrates that from 2000 through 2024, the annual average of the monthly VMT increased from about 229,000 million miles per month to about 275,000 million miles per month or by 20 percent. The annual average of the monthly retail price of gasoline also increased from $1.52 per gallon in 2000 to $3.43 per gallon in 2024 or about 125 percent. VMT only decreased in four years: 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2020. Gasoline prices, however, show more fluctuation. Gasoline prices initially fell to their lowest value in 2001 before rising to their second highest value in 2008. Gasoline prices fell substantially in the latter half of 2008 into 2009, which also was a period of declining travel. After a significant increase in prices from 2009 through 2011, prices dropped from 2014 through 2016. And after an initial drop in prices in 2020, which corresponded to the significant drop in travel, prices increased rapidly until reaching a peak in June 2022. While there were some periods where both travel and gas prices declined, the variation in gasoline prices does not appear to track changes in overall travel closely.
Monthly Travel and Cost of Gasoline, 2000-2024
| Year | Annual Average of the Monthly Retail Gasoline Cost per Gallon |
Annual Average of the Monthly VMT (in billions) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $1.52 | 229 |
| 2001 | $1.47 | 233 |
| 2002 | $1.38 | 238 |
| 2003 | $1.60 | 241 |
| 2004 | $1.89 | 247 |
| 2005 | $2.31 | 249 |
| 2006 | $2.62 | 251 |
| 2007 | $2.85 | 252 |
| 2008 | $3.31 | 248 |
| 2009 | $2.40 | 246 |
| 2010 | $2.83 | 247 |
| 2011 | $3.58 | 246 |
| 2012 | $3.69 | 247 |
| 2013 | $3.58 | 249 |
| 2014 | $3.44 | 252 |
| 2015 | $2.51 | 258 |
| 2016 | $2.25 | 265 |
| 2017 | $2.53 | 268 |
| 2018 | $2.82 | 270 |
| 2019 | $2.69 | 272 |
| 2020 | $2.26 | 242 |
| 2021 | $3.09 | 262 |
| 2022 | $4.06 | 266 |
| 2023 | $3.63 | 271 |
| 2024 | $3.43 | 275 |
Another way of viewing the relationship between travel and fuel consumption is the ratio of vehicle miles traveled to gallons of fuel consumed. In 2024 there were about 3.3 trillion miles of travel and 172 billion gallons of fuel for an average of 19.2 miles per gallon (MPG), which was the highest value recorded. As seen in Table 6-6, MPG decreased slightly from 1949 until the lowest value of 11.9 in 1973. MPG began increasing significantly in 1980 and continued to increase until declining slightly in 1993. After 1993 MPG slowly increased, with some periods of decline, from 16.7 in 1994 to the 19.2 MPG today.
Average Miles Traveled per Gallon, 1949-2024
| Year | VMT/Gallon |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 13.1 |
| 1950 | 12.8 |
| 1951 | 12.9 |
| 1952 | 12.7 |
| 1953 | 12.7 |
| 1954 | 12.7 |
| 1955 | 12.7 |
| 1956 | 12.6 |
| 1957 | 12.4 |
| 1958 | 12.4 |
| 1959 | 12.4 |
| 1960 | 12.4 |
| 1961 | 12.4 |
| 1962 | 12.4 |
| 1963 | 12.5 |
| 1964 | 12.5 |
| 1965 | 12.5 |
| 1966 | 12.4 |
| 1967 | 12.4 |
| 1968 | 12.2 |
| 1969 | 12.0 |
| 1970 | 12.0 |
| 1971 | 12.1 |
| 1972 | 12.0 |
| 1973 | 11.9 |
| 1974 | 12.0 |
| 1975 | 12.2 |
| 1976 | 12.1 |
| 1977 | 12.3 |
| 1978 | 12.4 |
| 1979 | 12.5 |
| 1980 | 13.3 |
| 1981 | 13.6 |
| 1982 | 14.1 |
| 1983 | 14.2 |
| 1984 | 14.5 |
| 1985 | 14.6 |
| 1986 | 14.7 |
| 1987 | 15.1 |
| 1988 | 15.6 |
| 1989 | 15.9 |
| 1990 | 16.4 |
| 1991 | 16.9 |
| 1992 | 16.9 |
| 1993 | 16.7 |
| 1994 | 16.7 |
| 1995 | 16.9 |
| 1996 | 16.9 |
| 1997 | 17.0 |
| 1998 | 17.0 |
| 1999 | 16.7 |
| 2000 | 16.9 |
| 2001 | 17.1 |
| 2002 | 17.0 |
| 2003 | 17.0 |
| 2004 | 17.1 |
| 2005 | 17.2 |
| 2006 | 17.2 |
| 2007 | 17.2 |
| 2008 | 17.4 |
| 2009 | 17.6 |
| 2010 | 17.4 |
| 2011 | 17.5 |
| 2012 | 17.6 |
| 2013 | 17.6 |
| 2014 | 17.1 |
| 2015 | 17.9 |
| 2016 | 17.9 |
| 2017 | 18.0 |
| 2018 | 18.2 |
| 2019 | 18.1 |
| 2020 | 18.2 |
| 2021 | 18.0 |
| 2022 | 18.5 |
| 2023 | 18.4 |
| 2024 | 19.2 |