| Key Highlights Maryland ranks 17th out of 51 jurisdictions with a composite score of 18.5, placing 13th on current price at $4.05, 20th on monthly dollar gain at +$1.10, and 30th on annual increase at +$0.85. Maryland added $1.10 per gallon in a single month, a +37.29% surge from a $2.95 March 2026 base, pushing the annual fuel bill to $3,159.00 for a driver filling a 15-gallon tank once a week. Every one of the 51 jurisdictions paid more in April 2026 than in April 2025, with Maryland’s +26.56% annual increase sitting 15.92 percentage points above Iowa’s floor of +10.65%. |
In April 2026, Maryland drivers were paying $4.05 per gallon for regular unleaded, placing the state 13th out of 51 jurisdictions on current price and ranking 17th overall in a Balanced Composite Score that combines current price, monthly price acceleration, and annual price growth.
An analysis by Ladah Injury and Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas used AAA Fuel Gauge Report data for 51 jurisdictions across three time points to rank states by current price, monthly change, and annual change, combined into a Balanced Composite Score.
Ten states facing the highest combined gas price burden
Composite rank State Score Apr 2026 No change (%) Yr change (%) 1 Arizona 3.8 $4.70 +41.57% +37.83% 2 California 4.3 $5.89 +26.67% +21.44% 3 Nevada 6.3 $4.94 +33.51% +25.70% 4 Florida 6.5 $4.22 +46.02% +37.46% 5 Utah 10.0 $4.20 +53.28% +28.83% 6 Idaho 10.2 $4.27 +43.77% +26.71% 7 Oregon 10.6 $4.96 +26.53% +29.17% 8 Washington 10.9 $5.36 +22.65% +27.32% 9 Hawaii 12.6 $5.46 +24.37% +20.53% 10 Illinois 14.0 $4.25 +38.89% +21.78%
A lower score signals greater combined burden across current price, monthly spike, and annual increase. Maryland sits 17th with a composite score of 18.5, outside the ten most pressured states, yet still posting a +26.56% annual increase that is more than double Iowa’s national floor of +10.65%.
Looking at the study, Ramzy Ladah, Founder & CEO from Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas commented,
“The $2,043 annual gap between states is not abstract. For many families it is a car payment or a month of rent. States with historically low prices are now rising fastest, quietly eroding the one cost advantage lower-income drivers had.”
States paying the highest average price per gallon of regular unleaded
Price rank State Apr 2026 Apr 2025 Yr change ($) Yr change (%) 1 California $5.89 $4.85 +$1.04 +21.44% 2 Hawaii $5.46 $4.53 +$0.93 +20.53% 3 Washington $5.36 $4.21 +$1.15 +27.32% 4 Oregon $4.96 $3.84 +$1.12 +29.17% 5 Nevada $4.94 $3.93 +$1.01 +25.70% 6 Arizona $4.70 $3.41 +$1.29 +37.83% 7 Alaska $4.59 $3.48 +$1.11 +31.90% 8 Idaho $4.27 $3.37 +$0.90 +26.71% 9 Illinois $4.25 $3.49 +$0.76 +21.78% 10 Florida $4.22 $3.07 +$1.15 +37.46%
All ten states in the highest-price tier are paying at least $4.22 per gallon, while Maryland at $4.05 falls $0.17 below Florida, the tenth-ranked state. California tops the list at $5.89, a $1.84 gap above Maryland that equals $1,435.20 more in annual fuel costs.
States paying the lowest average price per gallon of regular unleaded
Price rank State Apr 2026 Apr 2025 Yr change ($) Yr change (%) 51 Oklahoma $3.27 $2.76 +$0.51 +18.48% 50 Kansas $3.32 $2.84 +$0.48 +16.90% 49 Nebraska $3.41 $3.06 +$0.35 +11.44% 48 Iowa $3.43 $3.10 +$0.33 +10.65% 47 North Dakota $3.44 $3.10 +$0.34 +10.97% 46 Missouri $3.46 $2.92 +$0.54 +18.49% 45 Arkansas $3.49 $2.83 +$0.66 +23.32% 44 South Dakota $3.50 $3.12 +$0.38 +12.18% 43 Minnesota $3.52 $3.18 +$0.34 +10.69% 41 Mississippi $3.68 $2.69 +$0.99 +36.80% 41 Georgia $3.68 $2.99 +$0.69 +23.08%
Georgia and Mississippi are tied at price rank 41 at $3.68/gallon; both are included.
Iowa posted the smallest annual increase nationally at +10.65%, while Maryland’s +26.56% growth sits 15.92 percentage points above that floor. Maryland at $4.05 pays $0.78 more per gallon than Oklahoma, the cheapest state, adding $608.40 to annual fuel costs.
States recording the largest month-over-month price jump from March to April 2026
No. rank State Mar 2026 Apr 2026 No change ($) No change (%) 1 Utah $2.74 $4.20 +$1.46 +53.28% 2 Arizona $3.32 $4.70 +$1.38 +41.57% 3 Florida $2.89 $4.22 +$1.33 +46.02% 4 Idaho $2.97 $4.27 +$1.30 +43.77% 5 Tennessee $2.57 $3.82 +$1.25 +48.64% 6 Nevada $3.70 $4.94 +$1.24 +33.51% 7 Kentucky $2.64 $3.88 +$1.24 +46.97% 8 California $4.65 $5.89 +$1.24 +26.67% 9 Illinois $3.06 $4.25 +$1.19 +38.89% 10 Texas $2.60 $3.77 +$1.17 +45.00%
Maryland ranks 20th nationally on monthly dollar gain at +$1.10, below all ten states in this table. Utah led all states at +$1.46, and Texas at rank 10 posted a +$1.17 gain, exceeding Maryland by $0.07.
States with the largest year-over-year price increase from April 2025 to April 2026
Yr rank State Apr 2025 Apr 2026 Yr change ($) Yr change (%) 1 Arizona $3.41 $4.70 +$1.29 +37.83% 2 Washington $4.21 $5.36 +$1.15 +27.32% 3 Florida $3.07 $4.22 +$1.15 +37.46% 4 Oregon $3.84 $4.96 +$1.12 +29.17% 5 Alaska $3.48 $4.59 +$1.11 +31.90% 6 New Jersey $2.97 $4.02 +$1.05 +35.35% 7 California $4.85 $5.89 +$1.04 +21.44% 8 Kentucky $2.85 $3.88 +$1.03 +36.14% 9 Tennessee $2.79 $3.82 +$1.03 +36.92% 10 Nevada $3.93 $4.94 +$1.01 +25.70%
Kentucky and Tennessee share positions 8 and 9 respectively. All rows reflect exact dataset values.Washington and Florida are tied at rank 2 with an identical +$1.15 annual dollar increase; both are included, with Florida listed at rank 3 for display purposes only.
Maryland ranks 30th nationally on annual dollar increase at +$0.85, below all ten states in this table which each added at least $1.01 per gallon. Arizona led the nation at +$1.29, equivalent to $343.20 more per year than Maryland’s annual fuel cost increase.
States priced below $3.00 per gallon in April 2025 now recording the fastest annual growth
| State | Apr 2025 | Apr 2026 | Yr change ($) | Yr change (%) |
| Tennessee | $2.79 | $3.82 | +$1.03 | +36.92% |
| Mississippi | $2.69 | $3.68 | +$0.99 | +36.80% |
| Kentucky | $2.85 | $3.88 | +$1.03 | +36.14% |
| Texas | $2.77 | $3.77 | +$1.00 | +36.10% |
| New Jersey | $2.97 | $4.02 | +$1.05 | +35.35% |
| Alabama | $2.79 | $3.77 | +$0.98 | +35.13% |
| North Carolina | $2.89 | $3.90 | +$1.01 | +34.95% |
North Carolina (+34.95%) is included as the seventh-largest annual increase in this sub-group.
All seven states entered April 2025 below $3.00 and now rank among the fastest-rising in the dataset. Maryland entered April 2025 at $3.20, well above this group, yet still posted a +26.56% annual increase — a significant rise even as all seven states in this table grew at a faster pace.
Methodology
Data was sourced from the AAA Fuel Gauge Report for all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. across April 2025, March 2026, and April 2026. Prices reflect statewide averages for regular unleaded gasoline per gallon, inclusive of all federal and state fuel taxes; no seasonal adjustments were applied. The annual cost figure uses a standard assumption of a 15-gallon tank filled once weekly at 52 fill-ups per year. The Balanced Composite Score weights current price rank at 50%, monthly increase rate at 30%, and annual increase rate at 20%; a lower score indicates greater combined burden.
Data sources
AAA Fuel Gauge Report: gasprices.aaa.com
Study by: https://www.ladahlaw.com/
Research dataset: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cnP-HKHao91BtSXRT3J2g1-emvYmhF7fWBIiN0zBzN0/edit?usp=sharing
About Ladah Injury and Car Accident Lawyers Las VegasLadah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas is a personal injury and car accident law firm based in Las Vegas, Nevada, representing clients in car accident, injury, and related personal injury cases. This analysis was conducted as part of the firm’s ongoing effort to produce data-driven research on issues affecting drivers across the United States.
