by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research

AAA publishes a daily map that divides the states into five groups, depending on the average price of regular gasoline. On July 5, 2022, two adjacent states had a unique relationship: they belonged to the two extreme AAA price groups, with Illinois in the highest price group and Kentucky in the lowest price group. This very brief post compares the lowest gasoline prices in two adjacent counties in these two states: Massac in Illinois, and McCracken in Kentucky. The lowest prices in each county were obtained from GasBuddy.

The results indicate that the lowest price on July 5, 2022, at 9 am CDT in Massac County, Illinois, was $5.09 per gallon, while it was $4.08 in McCracken County, Kentucky. According to Google Maps, the shortest driving distance between the two specific gas stations in question is 13.1 miles.

Michael Sivak is the managing director of Sivak Applied Research and the former director of Sustainable Worldwide Transportation at the University of Michigan.