Statewide average updated daily • Source: AAA
Mississippi consistently ranks among the cheapest states for gasoline in the country, typically placing in the bottom five for average prices alongside Louisiana, Texas, and Missouri. The state benefits from proximity to Gulf Coast refining infrastructure, a low tax rate, and a cost structure that keeps retail margins among the thinnest in the nation. For Mississippi drivers, cheap gas is one of the few consistent financial advantages of living in the lowest per-capita income state in the country.
Mississippi’s state gas tax is 18 cents per gallon — one of the lowest in the country. Combined with the federal rate, total taxes come to just 36.4 cents per gallon, the third lowest combined burden of any state.
Mississippi’s geographic position along the Gulf Coast corridor gives it excellent access to refinery supply from Louisiana and Texas without the long pipeline distances that add cost in interior states. The state sits directly on supply routes serving the entire Southeast and has multiple fuel terminal locations along the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast that provide reliable and affordable wholesale supply.
Retail operating costs in Mississippi are among the lowest in the country — real estate is inexpensive, labor costs are low, and the overall cost structure of running a business in Mississippi is favorable compared to coastal or Northern states. These lower operating costs translate to thinner required margins at the pump.
Did you know? Mississippi has one of the lowest gas taxes in the country at just 18 cents per gallon — a rate that reflects the state’s longstanding low-tax tradition. Mississippi’s per-capita vehicle miles traveled is among the highest in the country relative to its income level, as car dependency is extreme in a predominantly rural state with minimal public transit. The Mississippi River, which forms the state’s western border, is a critical fuel transportation artery — barge shipments of petroleum products provide an important supply route throughout the lower Mississippi Valley.
Compare today’s average in Mississippi with nearby states to understand regional price differences.
Learn more about what drives gas prices across the United States.
Crude oil prices are the biggest driver of what you pay at the pump. For U.S. and global crude oil production data updated from EIA figures, see Oil Production Live.