Gas prices have been on the rise since the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran, leaving many drivers wondering when they will be able to get some relief at the pump.
The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular gas
on Sept. 9 was $4.22, according to AAA Auto Club. That's up from an average of $4.15 one week ago on Sept. 2 and $3.19 on Sept. 9, 2025, the group said.Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in post on X "you can watch in real-time the national average price of gasoline continue to tick up... $4.234/gal right now."
you can watch in real-time the national average price of gasoline continue to tick up... $4.234/gal right now. @GasBuddy live data updates every *five* minutes (288x/day)
based on millions of prices weekly https://t.co/GJlDRPhF7F
— Patrick De Haan (@GasBuddyGuy) September 9, 2026
But despite that pain at the pump, drivers still need to fill up their vehicles and many drivers have brands they've been loyal to for years.
With that in mind, the USA TODAY Cars team look at the most popular gas station brands and the states where they have the most locations, according to a recent poll that was published by YouGov, Locationscloud.com and ScrapeHero.
1. Shell
Number of U.S. stations: 12,483
State with the most stations: Texas (1,578)
Average gas price in most populous state: $3.76
2. 7-Eleven
Number of U.S. stations: 12,180
State with the most stations: California (1,828)
Average gas price in most populous state: $5.87
3. ExxonMobil
Number of U.S. stations: 11,292
State with the most stations: Texas (1,955)
Average gas price in most populous state: $3.76
4. Circle K
Number of U.S. stations: 6,846
State with the most stations: Florida (934)
Average gas price in most populous state: $4.07
5. Chevron
Number of U.S. stations: 7,122
State with the most stations: California (1,863)
Average gas price in most populous state: $5.87
6. BP
Number of U.S. stations: 8,163
State with the most stations: Wisconsin (676)
Average gas price in most populous state: $3.97
7. Wawa
Number of U.S. stations: 1,231
State with the most stations: Florida (324)
Average gas price in most populous state: $4.07
8. Love's
Number of U.S. stations: 670
State with the most stations: Texas (52)
Average gas price in most populous state: $3.76
9. Sunoco
Number of U.S. stations: 5,200
State with the most stations: Pennsylvania (936)
Average gas price in most populous state: $4.36
10. Marathon
Number of U.S. stations: 7,742
State with the most stations: Ohio (927)
Average gas price in most populous state: $4.07
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on the National Trending Desk at USA TODAY. Contact Keith at klaing@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gas prices are high, but Americans still have their favorite stations
