# Why are the cents of gasoline prices rarely even numbers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934 "2006-04-24T03:02:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/1 "2006-04-24T03:02:09Z")
It’s very rare to find a gas station selling gas for $2.50 or $2.34. Why are the cents of gas prices rarely even digits? Adam ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/2 "2006-04-24T03:15:03Z")
It’s just the $99.99 thing cut slightly smaller. $2.46[sup]88[/sup] may as well be $2.47, but it looks cheaper than it is. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/3 "2006-04-24T04:18:03Z")
while the price of gas (almost) always ends in 9, I’ve never noticed the whole cents portion being odd more than even. I just paid 2.769 for gas the other day, and one other station nearby has 2.789 gas going. A look at [www.austingasprices.com](http://www.austingasprices.com) doesn’t show a particularly strong bias for odd cents values, although 2.799 is the most common price. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/4 "2006-04-24T04:21:36Z")
> [@](#): > > $2.46[sup]88[/sup] may as well be $2.47, but it looks cheaper than it is. But that doesn’t have anything to do with odd/even (2.47[sup]99[/sup] may as well be 2.48, but it looks cheaper than it is). I’m not seeing this. Of course, there’s always the .9 cents at the end, but I haven’t noticed any trend in the cents digit. Currently looking at my city’s listed gas prices, the front page seems pretty evenly split between odd and even cents, which is what I would expect. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/5 "2006-04-24T04:23:03Z")
I forgot the link I meant to include. Looks like **aktep** had it all covered anyway, but what the hell, it’s a different city: [http://www.raleighgasprices.com/](http://www.raleighgasprices.com/) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/6 "2006-04-24T17:18:17Z")
It pisses me off, I’ll tell you that. It’s a completely arbitrary pricing format. If you buy 10 gallons of gas at x.xx9/10 per gallon, you pay an extra 9 cents. Maybe there’s a valid backstory to the 9/10 cent stuff, but these days it just amounts to extra profit. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/7 "2006-04-24T18:38:16Z")
> [@Cabbage](#): > > But that doesn’t have anything to do with odd/even (2.47[sup]99[/sup] may as well be 2.48, but it looks cheaper than it is). I read the OP as “Why do gas prices rarely end with x cents _even_?” (ie; It could have been phrased as “It’s very rare to find a gas station selling gas for $2.51 or $2.35. Why are the cents of gas prices rarely even digits?” or one might similarly ask “It’s rare to find gas being sold for $2 or $3. Why are the dollars of gas prices rarely even digits?”) Of course, my interpretation is mainly influenced by its relation to an observable and addressable phenomena. I’ve never noticed odd numbers predominating in gas prices, either. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/8 "2006-04-24T18:42:07Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Maybe there’s a valid backstory to the 9/10 cent stuff, but these days it just amounts to extra profit. I’m with the ones who say it makes gasoline seem cheaper. If gas is $2.999/gallon, I say it’s three bucks a gallon. But most people I know will call it $2.99/gallon. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/9 "2006-04-24T18:50:24Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > (ie; It could have been phrased as “It’s very rare to find a gas station selling gas for $2.51 or $2.35. Why are the cents of gas prices rarely even digits?” or one might similarly ask “It’s rare to find gas being sold for $2 or $3. Why are the dollars of gas prices rarely even digits?”) Maybe. But since we get that question about once every two weeks ( with the same answers and the same debate about whether we’re getting ripped off for 9/10 of a cent or if we’re coming out ahead 1/10 of a cent), I was hoping it was something different. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/10 "2006-04-24T18:56:33Z")
> [@aktep](#): > > Maybe. But since we get that question about once every two weeks ( with the same answers and the same debate about whether we’re getting ripped off for 9/10 of a cent or if we’re coming out ahead 1/10 of a cent), I was hoping it was something different. How are you getting “ripped off”? The gas station sets a price and you either agree to pay it or not. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/11 "2006-04-24T19:02:27Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > How are you getting “ripped off”? The gas station sets a price and you either agree to pay it or not. You’re getting ripped off because you’re being asked to pay in units of currency that don’t exist. You can’t give them $2.999. Let’s use some round numbers: 5 gallons of gas at $3.00: $15.00 5 gallons of gas at $3.009: $15.045 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/12 "2006-04-24T19:02:56Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > How are you getting “ripped off”? The gas station sets a price and you either agree to pay it or not. I think it was Andy Rooney who once bought exactly one gallon of gas and tried to get his 1/10 cent back. They wouldn’t give it to him. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/13 "2006-04-24T19:13:10Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > You’re getting ripped off because you’re being asked to pay in units of currency that don’t exist. You can’t give them $2.999. Let’s use some round numbers: > > 5 gallons of gas at $3.00: $15.00 > 5 gallons of gas at $3.009: $15.045 So what you’re saying is, when they set the price higher, you pay more? Say it isn’t so! ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/14 "2006-04-24T19:15:23Z")
Hey I’m not the one saying we get ripped off. I’m just saying that’s one of the arguements that comes up. FTR, I think if it wasn’t 3.009, then it’d just be 3.01. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/15 "2006-04-24T19:28:24Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > So what you’re saying is, when they set the price higher, you pay more? Say it isn’t so! Well duh. What I’m saying is it’s a crappy, confusing, and pointless thing to ask for 9/10 of a cent when you can’t pay that. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-cents-of-gasoline-prices-rarely-even-numbers/353934/16 "2006-04-24T20:31:15Z")
> [@aktep](#): > > … since we get that question about once every two weeks ( with the same answers and the same debate about whether we’re getting ripped off for 9/10 of a cent or if we’re coming out ahead 1/10 of a cent), I was hoping it was something different. I don’t know if [this](http://www.slate.com/id/2125099/) is the explanation you keep getting every two weeks, but it’s the only recent factual one I could find extant on the www.