U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for May 19: Rules for Fuels

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

RULES FOR FUELS

Profile America — Friday, May 19th. Gas prices are a frequent cause for consumer complaint — but at least purchases aren't restricted, as they were beginning this month in 1942. That's when 17 states began rationing gasoline to help the fight World War II. By December, rationing was nationwide and remained in effect until the end of the war, along with a national speed limit of 35 miles an hour, which was promoted as "Victory Speed." Now, there are nearly 112,000 gas stations across the country. Most — over 96,000 — have incorporated convenience stores. Each year, America's gas stations sell over $550 billion worth of fuel and other items. Today's cars average 23.9 miles to the gallon, while SUVs, vans and pickup trucks get 17.3 miles per gallon. You can find more facts about America's people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at www.census.gov.

Sources:
Rationing and "Victory Speed"/accessed 2/24/2017:
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/seventeen-states-put-gasoline-rationing-into-effect 
Gas stations/NAICS 447:
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~447 
Gas stations with convenience stores/NAICS 447110: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=BP_2013_00A1&prodType=table 
Gas station revenues/NAICS 447: https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/44A1//naics~447 
Vehicles and mpg/accessed 2/24/2014:
www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2015/vm1.cfm

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotion of the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics and accounts drawn from cited non-Census sources are employed for illustrative or narrative purposes, and are not attested to by the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Audio" in the "Library" pull-down menu). 

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau