Oklahoma and National Thanksgiving Holiday Travel At-A-Glance
Thanksgiving is the single busiest holiday for travel, and according to AAA travel projections, this year is no exception across America and here in the Sooner State.
Here’s a quick look at some of the numbers, trends and tips from AAA:
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696,217 – Number of Oklahomans who will travel 50 miles or more from home for the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday travel period (Nov. 25-Dec. 1), an increase of 0.8% from 2024.
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91.7% – Percentage of Oklahoma travelers who will drive to their Thanksgiving holiday destination. The 638,881 road trippers is a 0.7% increase from last year.
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81.8 million – Number of travelers nationwide AAA projects will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, a 2% increase compared to 2024.
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73.3 million – Number of travelers nationwide who will drive to their Thanksgiving destinations. This represents an additional 1.3 million road travelers during the holiday compared to 2024.
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$2.53 – Oklahoma average cost per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline, as of 11/18/25, 3 cents less than the average one year ago and the lowest in the nation. (Source: https://gasprices.aaa.com/)
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868 – Death toll nationally in drunk driving related crashes from 2019-2023, representing 35% of all traffic crash fatalities during the Thanksgiving holiday period, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. AAA and MADD remind travelers about the dangers of impaired driving and urge them to have a plan in place before Thanksgiving by using a rideshare, designating a sober driver, or taking public transit to ensure everyone’s safety.
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15% – Decrease in domestic rental car prices this Thanksgiving compared to 2024.
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3% – Decrease in price of domestic hotels this Thanksgiving week compared to last year.
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2.1% – Percent increase in the number of people who will travel by air nationwide this Thanksgiving holiday compared to last year. Oklahoma air travel will be up 0.8%.
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2.5 million – Number of people nationwide expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises, and trains. This an increase of 8.6% compared to last year. Oklahoma travel by other modes is up 4.5% this year compared to 2024.
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$1,650 – Average cost of cruises departing from U.S. cities this Thanksgiving holiday, 40% more expensive compared to the same time last year.