(July 14, 2020) BOSTON — GasBuddy reveals that a staggering 73% of millennials living in the United States say gas prices impact their ability to spend money on other goods and services in GasBuddy’s 2020 Consumer Sentiment on Gasoline Study released today.

The annual study examines the relationship consumers have with gas prices. Since those born between 1981 and 1996 make up much of the working class in America, this year’s study focuses more closely on this generation.

One of the most interesting findings is how differently Gen Y is impacted by gas prices based on what region they live in.

Millennials in the Pacific region of the United States say the price at which gas becomes “too expensive” is $3.35 per gallon which is 20% higher than Southeast sentiments at $2.74 per gallon. An annualized average gas expense of $3.35 per gallon means that millennials in states like California and Washington can tolerate up to an extra $250 on their yearly gasoline bill compared to those living in states like Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi.



“Gas prices are as regional as the weather, sports teams and barbecue,” says Patrick De Haan, head petroleum analyst at GasBuddy. “The Pacific region of the U.S. is notorious for having some of the most expensive gas prices in the country which is reflected by how their residents define what ‘high gas prices’ mean.”

Regionality shows even further disparities with nearly 80% of millennials across the Southeast and Southwest citing high gas prices prohibiting them from paying for other goods and services compared 64% of millennials in the Pacific, 66% of those in the Northeast, 67% in the Rocky Mountains and 73% of those in the Midwest.  


“While we know the state of California has the most pickup trucks, millennials in the state of Alabama can drive as much as 5,000 more miles per year than those living on the West Coast according to the Federal Highway Administration,” says De Haan. “Taking into account the difference in miles driven, gasoline becomes most important to those who drive the most.”

Millennials in the Southeast are hit particularly harder when gas prices are high. Sixty seven percent of them will drive less when gas prices are high, compared to only 38% of those from the West Coast saying the same.  Sixty to sixty-five percent of millennials in the remaining regions of the United States say they drive less when gas prices are high.

“While we see that those living in the Pacific are less likely to change their driving habits, gas prices have a huge impact on the majority of the country,” says De Haan. “More than three out of five millennials make the conscious decision to drive less when gas prices go up, a remarkable indication of how gas prices affect the daily lives of Gen Y.”