AAA predicts 71 million Americans will travel over the July 4th holiday

Airports and highways will be crowded over the Independence Day holiday. According to AAA, nearly 71 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home during the holiday period.

The crowds will start to build this weekend and may not subside until the following weekend since the actual holiday falls next Thursday. AAA expects there will be 5% more holiday travelers than last year and 8% more than 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

“With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019.”  

Americans traveling by car will encounter slightly lower gasoline prices than last year. According to AAA, the national average price of regular gas is around $3.50 a gallon. At this time last year it was $3.56 a gallon.

Drivers in Mississippi will find the cheapest gas prices while motorists in California will encounter the most expensive fuel.

Here are the states with the cheapest regular gas per gallon:

Here are the states with the most expensive regular gas per gallon: