Fermi question · Everyday

About how many gallons of motor gasoline did the United States consume per day in 2025?

Make a fast, defensible estimate before you reveal the reference answer. Think in factors, not exact recall.

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What is your estimate?

gallons per day

Use a positive number. Commas and scientific notation are okay.

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Reference answer

Reveal the reference answer

≈ 374 million gallons per day

Fermi estimates are judged by scale, so a reasonable approximation can still earn a strong score.

One way to estimate it

Estimate the vehicle fleet and multiply by average daily fuel use.

  1. Vehicles≈ 280 million
  2. Average gasoline use≈ 1.3 gallons per vehicle per day
  3. Estimate280M × 1.3 ≈ 360M gallons/day

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