Louisiana Drivers Hit With America’s Worst Driving Cost Burden 

Louisiana drivers are not paying the highest gas prices in America, but a new 2026 study says they are still carrying the heaviest overall driving-cost burden in the country. MoneyGeek ranked Louisiana No. 1 after comparing annual fuel costs and full-coverage car insurance premiums against median household income. 

Insurance Is the Real Wallet Killer 

According to the study, Louisiana drivers spend an average of $5,236 a year on gas and full-coverage car insurance combined. That works out to 8.59% of the state’s median household income. 

The surprise is that gas is not the main reason Louisiana landed at the top. MoneyGeek found Louisiana’s average full-coverage car insurance premium is $2,827 a year, the second-highest in the country. That insurance bill, combined with a lower median household income, makes everyday driving more expensive here than anywhere else. 

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For families in Shreveport, Bossier City, Baton Rouge, Monroe, Lake Charles, and New Orleans, this is not just a spreadsheet problem. It is the weekly math of getting to work, taking kids to school, making doctor visits, and keeping up with errands in a state where driving is often not optional. 

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Gas Prices Still Add Pressure 

MoneyGeek calculated Louisiana’s annual fuel cost at $2,409, based on 16,612 miles driven per year and an April gas price of $3.68 per gallon. 

That number matters because Louisiana was already ranked as the least affordable state for driving before the spring gas spike. The study says the state’s burden was 7.21% in January, then rose to 8.59% by April. 

Mississippi, Florida, Kentucky, Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, and Indiana rounded out the top 10 states with the highest driving-cost burden. 

There May Be Some Relief, But Not Enough Yet 

Louisiana insurance officials have pointed to some recent auto insurance decreases. The Louisiana Department of Insurance said State Farm’s approved 5.9% average rate decrease took effect January 1, 2026, and the department has also highlighted other approved rate decreases in the state. 

That is good news for some policyholders, but the MoneyGeek numbers show Louisiana drivers are still under more pressure than drivers in every other state. Any savings on a renewal notice may help, but it may not be enough to erase years of high premiums and household budget strain. 

What Louisiana Drivers Can Do Now 

Drivers cannot control the statewide insurance market or gas prices, but they can still take a few practical steps. Shopping insurance rates before renewal, asking about discounts, reviewing deductibles, and cutting unnecessary coverage on older vehicles may help some households. 

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For now, the study shows what many Louisiana families already know. Owning and driving a vehicle here takes a bigger bite out of the household budget than it does anywhere else in America.