Where a Gallon of Gas Now Costs More Than the Federal Minimum Wage

Americans across the country are dealing with record-breaking gas prices, but pain at the pump has been particularly bad in California, where gas now costs as much as the federal minimum wage in some places.

According to GasBuddy, there are 15 stations where gas costs more than $7.25

• Furnace Creek Fuel at CA-190 in Furnace Creek: $8.55 a gallon
• Chevron at 31251 Goffs Road in Essex: $8.29 a gallon
• Chevron at 901 N. Alameda St. in Los Angeles: $7.95 a gallon
• Chevron at 30811 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu: $7.79 a gallon
• Fort Dick Market at 6670 Lake Earl Dr. in Crescent City: $7.70 a gallon
• Roy's Gas at 87520 in Amboy: $7.69 a gallon
• Mobil at 8489 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles: $7.49 a gallon
• Shell at 900 North Hill Street in Los Angeles: $7.45 a gallon
• Chevron at 51557 US-395 in Lee Vining: $7.39 a gallon
• Shell at 453 Main St. in Bridgeport: $7.39 a gallon
• Valero at 377 Main St. in Bridgeport: $7.35 a gallon
• Shell at 125 Sharon Park Dr. in Menlo Park: $7.29 a gallon
• Mobil at 4349 Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Studio City: $7.29 a gallon
• Shell at 51424 US-395 in Lee Vining: $7.29 a gallon
• Mobil at 22 Vista Point Dr. in Lee Vining: $7.29 a gallon   (CBS News)

As CBS points out, the minimum wage in California is much higher than the federal level, with workers earning at least $14 per hour, but the significant cost of fuel is nevertheless making quite the dent in their earnings.

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If you make the minimum wage in California and commute one hour each way, you will work the first hour of your day just to pay for the gas you use commuting.https://t.co/fO4plYo6u9

— Jazz Shaw (@JazzShaw) June 2, 2022

According to AAA, while the national average is at $4.715 as of June 2, in California, the average is $6.213.

The reason gas is so much more expensive in California is "partly due to higher taxes in the state to pay for infrastructure and other costs," CBS reports, "but there's also something that economist Severin Borenstein of the University of California, Berkeley, calls a "mystery gasoline surcharge" — a price gap that can't entirely be explained by fees or other factors."