Sources & methodology

Every number on this site names its source and its date. This page explains where each one comes from, how often it changes, and what we leave out.

Method version 1.0-A1 · last updated October 18, 2026. The complete dataset behind the scoreboard is published at /data.js, with the source, data date and basis of every figure.

Gas

The 9 states EIA surveys, and everyone else

EIA publishes weekly gasoline prices for the U.S., five regions (called PADDs), and only nine individual states: California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington. EIA does not publish a weekly price, or an annual retail average, for the other 41 states or DC.

Because of this, the gas scoreboards rank only the 9 surveyed states. They carry the line “Ranked among the 9 states EIA surveys weekly.” With nine states, the Top 5 and the Bottom 5 share the middle state (#5). The Biggest Movers board uses the 9 surveyed states only; regional stand-ins never appear there.

Which region each state uses

Regions follow EIA’s Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADDs).

EIA also publishes three East Coast sub-regions and a “West Coast less California” average. This version of the site uses the five main regions only.

The map

The map uses equal-size squares, one per state plus DC, so small states are as easy to see and tap as large ones. Color shows price only, on a gold-to-burnt-orange scale. It never shows party. The legend prints the actual lowest and highest dollar values that fall in each color band.

Electricity

The power scoreboards rank all 50 states plus DC (51 places). States with identical prices share a rank. In July 2026, Missouri and New Mexico are both 16.09¢ and share #26.

Our calculations

• Rank — position by price, most expensive = #1. Gas ranks cover the 9 surveyed states; power ranks cover 50 states + DC.
• vs US — (state value ÷ U.S. average − 1) × 100, rounded to one decimal. The U.S. averages are EIA’s published national figures: gas $4.331/gal (Oct 12, 2026) and power 18.31¢/kWh (July 2026).
• Weekly % change for the U.S. gas average — EIA’s published change ÷ the prior week’s price.
• Rounding — gas is shown to the tenth of a cent, as EIA publishes it. The map legend rounds to the cent.

Party labels

Each state carries the party that controls its state government, using Ballotpedia’s trifecta definition. A party has a trifecta when it holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the legislature. A state where control is divided is labeled SPLIT. It is never forced into red or blue.

• Why this definition: state government sets gas taxes, utility regulation and housing rules, so it is the level of government closest to the prices shown here.
• Source: Ballotpedia, “State government trifectas”, as of October 16, 2026: 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, 11 divided governments. The counts were cross-checked against MultiState.
• Nebraska: its one-chamber legislature is officially nonpartisan. Ballotpedia counts Nebraska as a Republican trifecta, and so do we.
• DC is not a state and carries no label.
• When labels change: on the date newly elected officials take office, not on election night. Every label on the site shows its “as of” date.

Party labels describe who governs a state. They do not explain its prices. Prices depend on taxes, refinery access, fuel rules, geography, the power-plant mix and more.

Price wire (the ticker)

The scrolling bar at the top carries only our own figures from the sources above, plus one federal calendar item: the next Consumer Price Index release, Tuesday, Nov 10, 2026, 8:30 AM ET (October 2026 data), from the BLS release schedule. Arrows appear only on prices we measured from those sources. The ticker can be paused, and it does not move if your device asks for reduced motion.

What we leave out, and why

• AAA gas prices. AAA’s data is not licensed for republication on a site like this one, so we do not use it.
• Gas prices for the 41 unsurveyed states and DC. No free official weekly source exists, so we show the regional average and say so.
• Groceries. Not on the site yet. Official grocery prices exist only nationally and by region, never by state. When they arrive, they will be labeled that way.
• Rent and an overall cost index. Not on the site yet. They will come later with their own published method.
• Daily wholesale fuel and crude prices. Not on the site yet.
• News headlines. Not in the ticker.
• Election data. None.

Corrections

If we get a number wrong, we fix it and list it in the corrections log: what was wrong, what it is now, and the source. Report an error to [email protected]. Please include the page, the figure, and the source you are comparing it to.

Version history