Statewide average updated daily • Source: AAA
Arkansas gas prices consistently rank among the cheapest in the country, typically running 20 to 40 cents below the national average. The state combines a low tax rate with good access to Gulf Coast supply infrastructure and among the lowest retail operating costs of any state. Arkansas is geographically positioned at the intersection of the South and Midwest fuel supply networks, giving it reliable access to affordable wholesale fuel from multiple directions.
Arkansas’ state gas tax is approximately 24 cents per gallon, below the national average. The state has a relatively simple tax structure without the additional percentage-based components that make some other states’ effective rates higher than their nominal rates suggest. The total tax burden keeps Arkansas firmly in the low-cost tier nationally.
Arkansas sits in a favorable supply geography — close enough to Gulf Coast refineries for efficient pipeline delivery but also connected to Midwest supply networks that provide supply diversity. Little Rock serves as the main fuel distribution hub with pipeline terminal facilities that distribute supply throughout the state.
Retail operating costs in Arkansas are among the lowest in the country, reflecting inexpensive real estate and low labor costs that allow stations to maintain competitive prices with thin margins. The interstate corridors through the state — particularly I-40 running east-west — have competitive travel center markets that anchor low pricing along those routes.
Did you know? Arkansas is the birthplace of Walmart — headquartered in Bentonville — and the Walmart effect on retail competition extends to fuel, with Walmart and Sam’s Club fuel centers using their massive purchasing power to offer consistently low gas prices that pull down the market around them. Arkansas sits on top of the Fayetteville Shale formation, one of the significant natural gas producing regions in the South. The Arkansas River, which runs through the center of the state, is a navigable waterway connected to the Mississippi River system — barge transportation of petroleum products provides an additional affordable supply channel.
Compare today’s average in Arkansas with nearby states to understand regional price differences.
Learn more about what drives gas prices across the United States.
Crude oil prices are the biggest driver of what you pay at the pump. For U.S. and global crude oil production data updated from EIA figures, see Oil Production Live.