Data Visualizations Related to Gas Prices
With gasoline prices increasing so much lately, I have noticed a dramatic increase in the data/info visualizations related to them. Here are some that I hope you will find useful. The first two charts below were found at Gasbuddy and show the average price of gasoline mashed up in a map similar to Google maps. The second map shows the gas stations and gas prices local to Support Analytics in Columbia, MD. If I was impacted more from the increase in gas prices, I might use this to shop around for the lowest price per gallon. Being that I drive about a mile a day and my wife has a government issued vehicle, it wouldn’t affect me unless gas prices were $100 per gallon, which isn’t likely.
Source: www.gasbuddy.com
Source: www.gasbuddy.com
Here is a visual of what makes up the price for gas in 2004, when the average price was $1.85 per gallon versus 2008 where we are now paying roughly $4.03 per gallon on average. Looking back at the first chart above, you can see how your state/city compares to other states and the national average. If you live in California or the left coast, I hope you own a Prius. One fact that I would have expected to see below is a dramatic increase in the distribution cost of gas between 2004 and 2008, which actually decreased. Seems like there should be an almost perfect correlation between distribution costs and the price of gas, right? Maybe the impact is hidden due to the category being both distribution and marketing.
Source: www.thebiblog.com
Below are three charts which originated in the NY Times. The map shows the average price of gas per gallon in a format that I think is much better than the Gasbuddy one above. Again, if you live in California, I really feel for you. In the second graphic below, there is a nice timeline dating back to 1920 and going through 2007. The third line graph highlights the last 18 years of the second chart. They also do a nice job of highlighting the significant events along the line graph.
Source: www.nytimes.com and viewed at www.flowingdata.com
The last section contains a few graphics that I found in BusinessWeek. I’ve said before that I do not like pie charts unless you really just want to show how two parts make up the whole. Even still, a bar chart would take up less space. The data in the pie refers to a survey asking, does the increase in gas prices have an impact on travel plans of those who are planning a trip by automobile? Maybe a better question would have been, does the increase in gas prices impact you putting off a vacation or not traveling at all. I think the results would be much different.
This graphic, which I really like, shows the increase in round trip cost by car and by SUV for various city-to-city travel. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s the total cost because it’s only the incremental difference.
The next bar chart highlights that the overall cost of traveling has increased by 5.1% over the past five years (bar in black).
Average annual percentage increase in prices since 2003:
This last column chart illustrate the percentage change in gasoline consumption from the previous year. We are down quite a bit from this time last year; a 4% swing, as you might expect.
Do you have any gasoline related charts, graphs or visualizations to share?
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June 30th, 2008 at 8:40 am
[...] Data Visualizations Related to Gas Prices, Tony Rose of Support Analytics Consulting shows a series of visualizations he’s culled from [...]
June 30th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Tony -
I think you’ve misread the chart about the price inputs to a gallon of gas. The percentage contribution of distribution and marketing has gone down, swamped as it is by the price of crude. But if you compare the dollar values of these inputs, you’ll see that distribution and marketing has also increased, just not as dramatically as crude. I posted about it here:
What Goes into the Price of Gas?