Gas prices box in an Alabama community

Cars have connected Wilcox County with the wider world, and with jobs. But now the drive doesn’t pay off.

…Though drivers across the nation are smarting from the rising price of gas, it is taking a particularly harsh toll here in Wilcox County, where the median household income is $17,500. A recent report by the Oil Price Information Service estimated that residents spend more than 13% of their monthly income on gas — the highest ratio in the nation. (The study, which also took into account local gas prices and commuting statistics, found that the average Los Angeles County household spends 3.9% of its monthly income on gas.)

Roy’s Grocery has long served as a sort of home base for commuters: a place to buy a few gallons, get a six-pack of beer, catch up with friends. But the price of gas — which was $3.51 per gallon at Roy’s earlier this month — has changed some things. Clarence Perryman, a retired construction worker, has been a fixture for years at the store, watching his neighbors come and go.

“They used to pull up and say, ‘Fill it up,’ ” he said. “Not anymore.”

LA Times