West Virginians drive a lot according to a recent survey done by QuoteWizard, a Seattle insurance comparison marketplace and automobile industry analysis firm.
In a first-time study from 2013-17, QuoteWizard found the average driver in West Virginia used 914 gallons of gasoline in 2013, a figure that went up 15.34% by 2017 with average usage of 1,054 gallons, ranking the state eighth in gas consumption, QuoteWizard said.
The increase in gas consumption by West Virginians was the largest increase for any state during the study period. Delaware, 37th on the list, had the second-highest increase at 10.94% during the five years. Idaho, which was
17th on the list, had the third-highest jump in gas consumption at 8.22%. North Dakota, second on the list, had the biggest decline at 18.23%.
“In 2013, West Virginia was the 20th highest consumer of gas,” said Adam Johnson, QuoteWizard’s analyst. “As economic conditions improved into 2017, and gas getting cheaper, West Virginians likely followed a purchasing pattern of travel.”
The methodology QuoteWizard used for its study is based on data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. QuoteWizard examined the total gallons of gas used in each state and divided it by
the total number of licensed drivers. The study can be found at quotewiz ard.com/news/posts/gas-guzzling-states.
What was found by QuoteWizard was a 31% decline in gas prices during those five years led to a nearly 2% increase in
consumption.
“Population density played a significant role
in how certain states travel,” Johnson said.
“West Virginia is a small state, but has small population density, which means drivers have to drive more to get from point A to point B.”
The survey found the top 10 gas-guzzling states were Wyoming, North Dakota, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, News Mexico, West Virginia, Minnesota and Iowa.
Road conditions were not part of the study, Johnson said.
On the flip side, Hawaii was the least gas-guzzling state, it was followed by Rhode Island, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, California, Florida and Colorado.
Pennsylvania was 40th, Maryland, 36th, Virginia, 21st and Ohio, 25th, QuoteWizard said.
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