Six Months of Fuel · What a Gallon Did to the Delivery Mile
Pump prices rose in every state between February and August 2026. Iowa and Oklahoma rose most at about 69% — Iowa from $2.45 to $4.14 — with Colorado, Minnesota and Wyoming all above 60%. Texas rose 43%. The smallest increase was California at 22%, which still leaves it the most expensive state at $5.59 a gallon. Nationally, a 12-gallon fill-up costs about $15 more than it did in February.
Why this matters for B2B
Fuel is inside the price of every delivered pallet, whether it is itemised as a surcharge or quietly folded into the rate. It touches three legs at once: drayage from the port, the long haul across Texas, and the last-mile drop. The practical lesson is not which state is cheapest but that miles cost more than they did six months ago — which rewards buying from stock that already sits close to the buyer rather than moving it twice. Read alongside income left after bills by state and our U.S. market hub.
Source: AAA, prices for 18 February 2026 (via Lists Wire) and 20 August 2026, as compiled by Visual Capitalist. Regular unleaded only. AAA published a percentage change for every state but dollar figures only for the twenty shown here, which is why Texas appears in the note rather than the chart. Chart built by Cube-Age from the published figures; the original infographic was not reproduced.