Fredericksburg Leader

GasBuddy issued the following announcement on Sept. 23

What time of day do you prefer to fill up? In the morning at the beginning of your commute? After your midday grocery store run? Or just whenever it’s convenient?

We recently released findings of a new study revealing the most popular times of day drivers in each state fill up. The study analyzed Pay with GasBuddy fuel purchasing data* to determine the most frequent time drivers in all 50 U.S. states bought fuel. Here are some of our favorite finds:

DRIVERS IN MOST STATES BUY GAS BETWEEN 4 AND 5 P.M.

People in twenty-four states, including California, Florida and Louisiana, most frequently purchase gasoline between 5-6 p.m. Another 23 states, like Alabama, Arizona and Oregon purchased fuel most frequently between 4-5 p.m., according to GasBuddy data. Across the U.S., Friday is the most popular day to fill up, with 15.9 percent of weekly sales.

WEST VIRGINIANS ARE EARLY RISERS

While the majority of states fill up in the evening, West Virginians prefer to fill their tanks mid-morning, purchasing the most fuel between 10-11 a.m. 8.3 percent of West Virginian fuel sales happen between 10-11 a.m., more than any other hour of the day. According to Pay with GasBuddy data, 28 percent of West Virginians buy fuel before noon.

VIRGINIANS FILL UP WITH A MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

Another outlier from the after-work standard – drivers in Virginia purchase the most gas during the 3 p.m. hour, while 32 percent of Virginians purchase gas between noon and 3 p.m., with 8.6 percent of fuel sales occurring between 3-4 p.m. The hours of 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. were close behind, with 8.38 and 8.58 percent of sales, respectively.

MONTANA DRIVERS PUMP GAS ON THEIR LUNCH BREAK

Motorists in the Big Sky State purchased the most gas during the noon hour in 2021. However, in 2020 the most frequent fill up time in Montana was 3-4 p.m., and it was 5-6 p.m. in 2019. Could lifestyle changes from the pandemic have created a lasting trend? According to Pay with GasBuddy data, 31.7 percent of people in Montana now fill up their tanks between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Original source can be found here.