Forbes
The gas crisis worst-hit cities
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Sperling's Best Places began its analysis with 85 of the largest cities in the U.S., which are covered in an annual transportation study by the Texas Transportation Institute. Sperling's used data from the study to estimate how far a commuter in each city might drive each year. It used average automobile fuel efficiency information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as congestion information to figure out how much gasoline a car might use annually.
The company used gas price data from AAA to figure out an annual cost of gas for a two-earner, two-commuter family, given prices this year and last year. Finally, Sperling's looked at the increase as a percentage of after-tax income. It used median household incomes for two-earner households from the 2000 census, and assumed a tax rate of 35%.
| Hardest-hit cities | | Metro area | Increased cost | *Bite | | | | | Metro area | Increased cost | *Bite | | Birmingham, Ala. | $2,420 | 5.91% | | | | | New York-Newark, N.Y.-N.J.-Conn. | $1,478 | 2.88% | | Nashville-Davidson, Tenn. | $2,359 | 5.07% | | | | | Toledo, Ohio-Mich. | $1,462 | 3.44% | | Atlanta, Ga. | $2,326 | 4.74% | | | | | Chicago, Ill.-Ind. | $1,449 | 2.80% | | Raleigh-Durham, N.C. | $2,318 | 4.55% | | | | | Dayton, Ohio | $1,444 | 3.16% | | Washington, D.C.-Va.-Md. | $2,255 | 3.78% | | | | | Virginia Beach, Va. | $1,440 | 2.66% | | Orlando, Fla. | $2,146 | 5.15% | | | | | Oklahoma City, Okla. | $1,437 | 3.59% | | Charlotte, N.C.-S.C. | $2,074 | 3.98% | | | | | Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla. | $1,435 | 3.38% | | Richmond, Va. | $2,045 | 4.12% | | | | | Albuquerque, N.M. | $1,434 | 3.20% | | Indianapolis, Ind. | $2,023 | 4.17% | | | | | San Jose, Calif. | $1,432 | 2.09% | | Albany-Schenectady, N.Y. | $1,944 | 4.07% | | | | | Charleston-North Charleston, S.C. | $1,420 | 3.17% | | Jacksonville, Fla. | $1,912 | 4.52% | | | | | Grand Rapids, Miss. | $1,417 | 3.34% | | Baltimore, Md. | $1,886 | 3.35% | | | | | Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. | $1,416 | 2.42% | | Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. | $1,825 | 4.37% | | | | | Seattle, Wash. | $1,411 | 2.68% | | Pensacola, Fla.-Ala. | $1,820 | 4.65% | | | | | Akron, Ohio | $1,406 | 3.19% | | Louisville, Ky.-Ind. | $1,801 | 4.41% | | | | | San Francisco-Oakland, Calif. | $1,393 | 2.28% | | Houston, Texas | $1,800 | 4.00% | | | | | Cape Coral, Fla. | $1,387 | 3.15% | | New Haven, Conn. | $1,798 | 3.38% | | | | | Miami, Fla. | $1,380 | 3.81% | | Little Rock, Ark. | $1,793 | 4.36% | | | | | Tulsa, Okla. | $1,371 | 3.49% | | Boston, Mass.-N.H.-R.I. | $1,764 | 3.12% | | | | | San Diego, Calif. | $1,359 | 2.77% | | Hartford, Conn. | $1,755 | 3.19% | | | | | Milwaukee, Wis. | $1,337 | 2.74% | | Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn.-N.Y. | $1,715 | 2.51% | | | | | Colorado Springs, Colo. | $1,327 | 2.73% | | Austin, Texas | $1,713 | 3.42% | | | | | Tucson, Ariz. | $1,314 | 3.35% | | St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. | $1,707 | 3.76% | | | | | Oxnard-Ventura, Calif. | $1,299 | 2.33% | | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas | $1,703 | 3.64% | | | | | Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. | $1,293 | 2.99% | | Rochester, N.Y. | $1,663 | 3.65% | | | | | Fresno, Calif. | $1,272 | 3.00% | | Columbia, S.C. | $1,661 | 3.52% | | | | | Pittsburgh, Pa. | $1,267 | 2.95% | | Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. | $1,657 | 4.15% | | | | | Sacramento, Calif. | $1,249 | 2.49% | | Buffalo, N.Y. | $1,647 | 3.57% | | | | | El Paso, Texas-N.M. | $1,219 | 4.79% | | Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. | $1,644 | 3.71% | | | | | Honolulu, Hawaii | $1,211 | 2.39% | | San Antonio, Texas | $1,641 | 4.37% | | | | | Omaha, Neb.-Iowa | $1,171 | 2.42% | | Beaumont, Texas | $1,611 | 3.92% | | | | | Allentown-Bethlehem, Pa.-N.J. | $1,160 | 2.69% | | Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. | $1,596 | 3.44% | | | | | Boulder, Colo. | $1,139 | 2.07% | | Springfield, Mass-Conn. | $1,593 | 3.47% | | | | | Spokane, Wash. | $1,137 | 2.98% | | Detroit, Mich. | $1,581 | 3.17% | | | | | Portland, Ore.-Wash. | $1,088 | 2.43% | | Philadelphia, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md. | $1,573 | 2.95% | | | | | Bakersfield, Calif. | $1,060 | 3.01% | | Salt Lake City, Utah | $1,559 | 3.97% | | | | | Las Vegas, Nev. | $1,048 | 2.59% | | Columbus, Ohio | $1,536 | 3.13% | | | | | Cleveland, Ohio | $984 | 2.28% | | Denver-Aurora, Colo. | $1,504 | 2.95% | | | | | Brownsville, Texas | $916 | 2.42% | | Providence, R.I.-Mass. | $1,504 | 3.16% | | | | | Eugene, Ore. | $814 | 2.08% | | Phoenix, Ariz. | $1,491 | 3.14% | | | | | Salem, Ore. | $732 | 1.82% | | Corpus Christi, Texas | $1,482 | 3.99% | | | | | Anchorage, Alaska | $609 | 1.13% | | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. | $1,481 | 3.23% | | | | | Average | $1,529 | 3.34% |
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Source: Sperlings Best Places; *Increased cost of gasoline as a percentage of median income
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