Despite being one of the country’s foremost energy producers, Wyoming ranks near the top of the list when it comes to the states with the most expensive energy.
This has nothing to do with electricity consumption, natural gas use or even the rapidly escalating gas and diesel prices at the pump this summer. Rather, it’s the one thing residents can’t do anything about: long driving distances.
For the third year in a row, Wyoming ranks first in the nation when it comes to the highest motor-fuel consumption per driver and second for the most expensive energy costs, with an average cost of $403 per month, according to a 2021 WalletHub survey.
The survey compared the average monthly energy bills of residents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on the average monthly consumption and cost of electricity, natural gas, home heating oil, average gas price and the miles traveled for the average driver.
Connecticut had the highest average energy costs, followed in second by Wyoming and Massachusetts in third place. Wyoming also came in second in 2019, though fared better in 2020, placing seventh, according to past years’ surveys.
Not surprisingly, the Cowboy State also topped the list for the most money spent per month on fuel at $246 per month. Conversely, the state ranked 36th for the cheapest electricity at an average of $115 per month.
Alabama ranked first for high electricity costs at $181 per month, while the most expensive monthly natural gas bill was found in New York at $68, compared to $41 in Wyoming.
As for fueling up vehicles, the worst place to do this is in California, Hawaii and Nevada, which had the highest motor-fuel prices, respectively, according to the survey.
