---
title: "Gas Price to Pay Ratio"
slug: the-pump-tax
summary: "A gallon of regular gas cost 0.33% of median weekly pay in Q3 2026, up from 0.26% a year earlier"
category: "Prices"
unit: percent
frequency: quarterly
direction: higher_is_worse
latest_value: 0.3318
latest_period: "2026-Q3"
trend: rising
last_updated: "2026-10-22T00:00:00Z"
source: "Computed (U.S. Energy Information Administration/U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data retrieved via FRED: GASREGW / LES1252881500Q)"
measurement_basis: "Quarterly average U.S. retail price of a gallon of regular gasoline (EIA, GASREGW) divided by median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in current dollars (BLS, LES1252881500Q), times 100: one gallon as a share of a week's median pay. Both legs are in current dollars."
source_url: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GASREGW
source_urls:
  - https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GASREGW
  - https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881500Q
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-pump-tax/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Gas Price to Pay Ratio [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-pump-tax/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Gas Price to Pay Ratio.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-pump-tax/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Gas Price to Pay Ratio.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-pump-tax/."
---

# Gas Price to Pay Ratio

Also tracked as The Pump Tax.

> A gallon of regular gas cost 0.33% of median weekly pay in Q3 2026, up from 0.26% a year earlier

## Current Reading

As of 2026-Q3, Gas Price to Pay Ratio is **0.33%** (rising — worsening for households).

a gallon of gas as a share of weekly pay — up from a year earlier

## What Changed

- A gallon of regular gas cost 0.33% of median weekly pay in Q3 2026, up from 0.26% a year earlier.
- Both the gas price and the pay figure are in today's dollars.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-Q3 | 0.33% |
| 2026-Q2 | 0.33% |
| 2026-Q1 | 0.26% |
| 2025-Q3 | 0.26% |
| 2025-Q2 | 0.26% |
| 2025-Q1 | 0.26% |
| 2024-Q4 | 0.26% |
| 2024-Q3 | 0.29% |
| 2024-Q2 | 0.31% |
| 2024-Q1 | 0.28% |
| 2023-Q4 | 0.3% |
| 2023-Q3 | 0.33% |

## Historical Context

This series is not comparable end to end, so no all-time extreme or long-run average is published for it. The source changed what it measures on the following date(s):

- Q2 2018: EIA replaced its retail gasoline price sample, frame, estimation method and city definitions on May 14, 2018 and says estimates on either side are not directly comparable. Source: https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/gas_proc-methods.php

Compare readings only within a single segment. Subtracting across one of these dates measures the change in method, not in household conditions.

## Methodology

This indicator carries quarterly observations and is interpreted as higher values indicate worse household conditions. Source: Computed (U.S. Energy Information Administration/U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data retrieved via FRED: GASREGW / LES1252881500Q).
Measurement basis: Quarterly average U.S. retail price of a gallon of regular gasoline (EIA, GASREGW) divided by median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in current dollars (BLS, LES1252881500Q), times 100: one gallon as a share of a week's median pay. Both legs are in current dollars.
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

Computed (U.S. Energy Information Administration/U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data retrieved via FRED: GASREGW / LES1252881500Q)
- [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GASREGW](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GASREGW)
- [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881500Q](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881500Q)

Data retrieved: 2026-10-22T00:00:00Z

## Related Indicators

- [the-energy-squeeze](https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-energy-squeeze/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-pump-tax/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/the-pump-tax.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/the-pump-tax.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-pump-tax.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-pump-tax.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Gas Price to Pay Ratio [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-pump-tax/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Gas Price to Pay Ratio." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-pump-tax/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Gas Price to Pay Ratio." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-pump-tax/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.