DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesotans know how fabulous our home state is for hitting the highway and seeing the sites, and now everyone else does too after a study on best road tripping states by personal finance website WalletHub.
The Gopher state ranked sixth overall in best road tripping destination, based on results from 33 key metrics ranging from average gas prices and cost for camping to most scenic byways and fewest road fatalities.
Here's how Minnesota stacked up in several key categories.
Road Tripping in Minnesota (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
- 29th – Number of Attractions
- 7th – Avg. Gas Prices
- 16th – Nightlife Options per Capita
- 28th – Vehicle Miles Traveled per Capita
- 25th – Car Thefts per Capita
- 13th – Access to Scenic Byways
- 6th – Lowest Price of Camping
- 9th – Driving Laws Rating
- 2nd – Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled
The top five road tripping states are New York, Texas, Louisiana, Maine and North Carolina. Finishing on the bottom of the heap are Arkansas, Hawaii, Connecticut, and Delaware, with Rhode Island coming in dead last.
Wisconsin finished number 10, Iowa 23rd, North Dakota 29th and South Dakota 32nd.
WalletHub said two-thirds of American families plan on taking a summer vacation, and 59% of them plan to do it by car. With the national average for gas now over $3 per gallon, it will be more expensive than just a year ago.
Here are some things WalletHub noted about the cost of fuel and how people will pay for it.
RELATED: Best gas credit cards
Key findings
- 63% of people want rewards on gas more than any other type of travel purchase.
- 54% of people consider the price of gas when making summer travel plans.
- 84 million people think each individual should have to take a test to get a credit card, just like a driver’s license.
- 12x more people want gas rewards from a credit card than rewards for Uber/Lyft rides.
- 37% of people need to save at least $30 at the pump monthly to get a gas credit card.
For more on the road tripping rankings, check out the WalletHub website.