Gasoline is the main U.S. transportation fuel
In 2021, Americans used about 135 billion gallons of gasoline, including 134.83 billion gallons of finished motor gasoline—or about 369 million gallons per day—and about 0.18 billion gallons of finished aviation gasoline. Motor gasoline is one of the major fuels consumed in the United States and is the main product that U.S. oil refineries produce. Most of the finished motor gasoline sold for use in vehicles in the United States is about 10% fuel ethanol by volume.
U.S. consumers use gasoline in:
- Cars, sport utility vehicles, light trucks, and motorcycles
- Recreational vehicles and boats
- Small aircraft
- Equipment and tools used in construction, farming, forestry, and landscaping
- Electricity generators for portable and emergency power supply
In 2021, total gasoline consumption (based on energy content) accounted for about 58% of transportation sector total energy consumption and 16% of U.S. total energy consumption, and (based on volume) 45% of total petroleum consumption.1
Light-duty vehicles (cars, sport utility vehicles, and small trucks) account for about 91% of all gasoline consumption in the United States.2
Texas and California have the largest gasoline consumption
The amount of total gasoline use various among the states, but Texas and California together account for about one-fifth of U.S. total gasoline consumption.
| State | Million barrels/day | Million gallons/day | Share of U.S. total gasoline consumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 0.92 | 38.55 | 11% |
| California | 0.79 | 33.31 | 9% |
| Florida | 0.49 | 20.62 | 6% |
| New York | 0.33 | 14.01 | 4% |
| Georgia | 0.32 | 13.65 | 4% |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum and Other Liquids—Prime Supplier Sales Volumes, as of June 8, 2022 |
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1 Total gasoline includes finished aviation gasoline and finished motor gasoline including fuel ethanol.
2 Estimates from the Annual Energy Outlook 2022, Reference case, Table 36, March 2022.
Last updated: June 9, 2022 with most recent data available at the time of update; data for 2021 are preliminary.