Mississippi Most Affected by Booming Gas Prices

Gas prices are undoubtedly a major concern for all of us but, if you're asking Americans, Mississippi residents are the most affected by the the significant increase in the last few weeks. Prices are skyrocketing, some 13 percent from the previous month and, although California has the highest prices ($3.92 per gallon), families in Mississippi are spending even 13.2 percent of their income on gasoline.

Gasoline price in the Magnolia State is around $3.42 but, given the fact that drivers living there are among the lowest paid in the country, a large share of their money is spent on gas, a report by CNN Money reveals.

"When you live in California or New York, where things are close by and there's public transit, that's great -- but we don't have those options here," said Hilary Hamblin, a Tupelo, Miss. resident.

A family living in Mississippi earns an average of $37,000, which is the lowest in the country according to the aforementioned source, but spends no less than $402 per month on gas. For the sake of comparison, a family in California has an yearly budget of $59,000, while spending only $380 on gasoline, meaning 7.8 percent of the total income.

But Louisiana isn't far either, as families in the state revealed that they're spending no less than 12.19 percent of their income on gas. New Yorkers sit at the opposite pole, with only 4.97 percent of their budgets going on gasoline, but that's not surprising at all given that their city is credited as having some of the biggest salaries in the country.