Gas tax by state: the 7.1 times gap at the pump
Gasoline tax is the most visible tax most people never see itemized. It is built into the pump price, charged per gallon rather than per dollar, and set independently by each state. The spread is wide: 8.95c a gallon in Alaska against 63.40c in California. Here is every state, plus what the gap is worth on a tank of fuel.
What the full table shows
- The gap is worth about $8.17 a tank. Filling 15 gallons in California carries roughly $8.17 more state tax than the same fill in Alaska. Over 500 gallons a year that is about $272.25. Both volumes are illustrative, so scale them to your own driving.
- The federal rate is the same everywhere and has not moved since 1993. 18.4 cents a gallon applies on top of every figure below. Because it is fixed in cents rather than indexed, inflation has quietly cut its real value for three decades, which is why states have raised their own rates to fill the gap.
- A per-gallon tax shrinks as cars improve. Excise is charged on volume, not value, so revenue falls as vehicles get more efficient and does not rise when prices do. That structural problem, not appetite for taxation, is behind most recent rate changes and the electric-vehicle fees several states have added.
- Tax explains part of the pump-price gap, not all of it. Crude cost, refining, blend rules, distribution and local competition move the retail price too, and some states add general sales tax or local option taxes on top of the excise shown here.
State gasoline excise tax, cents per gallon
State excise only, highest first. The federal 18.4 cents a gallon is charged on top in every state and is not included in these bars.
View as a table
| Row | Cents per gallon | Source authority |
|---|---|---|
| California | 63.40c | California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), Special Notice L-1025 |
| Pennsylvania | 57.60c | Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Tax Rates |
| Washington | 56.50c | Washington State Department of Licensing (ESSB 5801, 2025) |
| Michigan | 52.40c | Michigan Department of Treasury, Notice Concerning Inflation Adjusted Fuel Tax Rate (MCL 207.1008; Public Act 20 of 2025) |
| New Jersey | 49.10c | NJ Division of Taxation, Department of the Treasury |
| Illinois | 48.30c | Illinois Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Tax Rates and Fees |
| Maryland | 46.60c | Comptroller of Maryland, Motor Fuel Tax Rates (Tax-General Article, Section 9-305) |
| North Carolina | 41.00c | North Carolina Department of Revenue, Motor Fuels Tax Rates |
| Oregon | 40.00c | Oregon Department of Transportation, Fuels Tax Group - Current Fuel Tax Rates |
| Rhode Island | 40.00c | Rhode Island Division of Taxation, Motor Fuel Tax |
| Ohio | 38.50c | Ohio Department of Taxation, Fuel Use and IFTA FAQ |
| Indiana | 37.00c | Indiana Department of Revenue, Departmental Notice #43 (Gasoline License Tax) |
| West Virginia | 35.70c | West Virginia Tax Division, Motor Fuel Rates |
| Vermont | 34.88c | Vermont DMV, MFTIA & MFTA Quarterly Fees (variable assessments) + Vermont Joint Fiscal Office gas-tax breakdown (fixed components) |
| Georgia | 33.30c | Georgia Department of Revenue, State Excise Tax Bulletin (effective Jan 1, 2026) |
| Montana | 33.00c | Montana Department of Transportation, Motor Fuel Tax Rates |
| Minnesota | 32.60c | Minnesota Department of Revenue, Petroleum Tax Fuel Excise Tax Rates and Fees |
| Virginia | 32.60c | Virginia DMV, Motor Fuels Tax Program, Fuels Tax Rates |
| Florida | 32.03c | Florida Department of Revenue, 2026 Fuel Tax Rates (TIP 25B05-05), Exhibit A/B |
| Idaho | 32.00c | Idaho State Tax Commission, Fuel Distributors Tax Rate |
| Utah | 31.90c | Utah State Tax Commission, Fuel Tax Rates |
| Nebraska | 31.80c | Nebraska Department of Revenue, Motor Fuels Tax Rate news release |
| Wisconsin | 30.90c | Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax (sec. 78.01(1), Wis. Stats.) |
| Alabama | 30.00c | Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Fuels Tax Rates (Ala. Code 40-17-325, Rebuild Alabama Act) |
| Iowa | 30.00c | Iowa Department of Revenue |
| Maine | 30.00c | Maine Revenue Services, Sales, Fuel & Special Tax Division (Excise Tax Bulletin #2, Gasoline Excise Tax) |
| Missouri | 29.50c | Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Tax Rate and Pool Bond Rate Table (SB 262 schedule) |
| South Carolina | 28.00c | South Carolina Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Requirements & FAQs |
| South Dakota | 28.00c | South Dakota Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Guide (January 2026), Fuel Tax Rates chart |
| Tennessee | 26.00c | Tennessee Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Taxes (Due Dates and Tax Rates) |
| Connecticut | 25.00c | Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 221, Sec. 12-458 (Motor Vehicle Fuels Tax) |
| Kentucky | 25.00c | Kentucky Department of Revenue, Motor Fuels Tax |
| Arkansas | 24.70c | Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Motor Fuel Tax Section |
| Kansas | 24.00c | Kansas Department of Revenue, Selected Kansas Tax Rates with Statutory Citation (K.S.A. 79-34,141) |
| Massachusetts | 24.00c | Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Massachusetts Tax Rates (motor fuels: gasoline and diesel fuel per gallon; excise under M.G.L. c. 64A) |
| Mississippi | 24.00c | Mississippi Department of Revenue, Petroleum Tax Bureau |
| Wyoming | 24.00c | Wyoming Department of Transportation, Fuel Tax Administration, Tax Rates |
| New York | 23.85c | New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Form PT-101 (Tax on Motor Fuel, Articles 12-A and 13-A), rev 1/26 |
| Delaware | 23.00c | Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, Motor Fuel Tax Administration |
| North Dakota | 23.00c | North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner, Motor Fuel Tax |
| Nevada | 23.00c | Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division - Fuel Industry Tax Rates |
| New Hampshire | 22.20c | NH Department of Safety, Road Toll Bureau (RSA 260:32 base $.18 as adjusted per RSA 260:32-a, SB367 effective July 1, 2014) |
| Colorado | 22.00c | Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division (Fuel Tax and Fee Rates) |
| Louisiana | 20.00c | Louisiana Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Taxes FAQ |
| Texas | 20.00c | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Motor Fuels Tax (Gasoline) |
| Oklahoma | 19.00c | Oklahoma Tax Commission, FY2025 Revenue & Apportionment Report |
| Arizona | 18.00c | Arizona Revised Statutes 28-5606(A) (Arizona State Legislature) |
| New Mexico | 17.00c | New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Gasoline Tax |
| Hawaii | 16.00c | Hawaii Department of Taxation, Schedule of Fuel Tax Rates (Liquid Fuel Tax Base and Tax Collections, May 2026); Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-4 |
| Alaska | 8.95c | Alaska Department of Revenue, Tax Division (Motor Fuel Tax; AS 43.40.010 and AS 43.40.005) |
Method, and what these figures exclude
- State excise only. Figures are the state gasoline excise rate for 2026. The federal 18.4 cents a gallon is excluded from the bars and applies everywhere.
- Other fuel charges are excluded. Some states levy general sales tax on fuel, environmental or inspection fees, or allow local option taxes. Those can add several cents and are not in the excise figure.
- Gasoline, not diesel. Diesel is usually taxed at a different rate.
- Rates move. Several states index their rate to inflation or to fuel prices, so a figure verified on 2026-07-16 can change at the next statutory adjustment.
- The tank and annual volumes are assumptions. 15 gallons and 500 gallons a year are illustrative figures chosen to make the gap concrete, not sourced national averages.
Sources and reuse
- Each state's rate is taken from that state's own revenue or transport authority; the authority for every row is listed in the table above. Verified 2026-07-16.
- Federal excise rate: IRS Publication 510, Excise Taxes.
- Per-state calculators and detail: our US calculators.
Our compilation and analysis may be quoted freely with credit to CalculatorHub and a link to this page. Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 9 August 2026. See our methodology. General information, not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the highest gas tax?
California at 63.40c a gallon, followed by Pennsylvania at 57.60c. The lowest is Alaska at 8.95c, which is about 7.1 times less. The median state charges 30.00c.
How much does the gas tax gap actually cost me?
On a 15 gallon fill-up, the difference between the highest and lowest state is about $8.17. For a driver buying 500 gallons a year, roughly $272.25 a year. Those two volumes are illustrative assumptions, not sourced averages: multiply the cent difference by your own gallons to get your figure.
Is the federal gas tax included in these figures?
No. These are state excise rates only. The federal gasoline excise tax of 18.4 cents a gallon applies on top in every state and has not changed since 1993. Add it to any state figure here for the combined excise burden, before any sales tax or local levy.
Why is the pump price not simply the tax difference?
Pump price reflects crude oil cost, refining, distribution, retail margin, blend requirements and local competition as well as tax. State tax explains part of the gap between states, not all of it. Some states also apply general sales tax or local option taxes on fuel, which are not in the excise figures here.
Where does gas tax money go?
In most states the gasoline excise is dedicated to roads, bridges and transport infrastructure, often by constitutional or statutory earmark. Because it is charged per gallon rather than per dollar, revenue does not automatically rise with fuel prices, and it falls as vehicles become more efficient. That is why several states index the rate or have replaced part of it with other charges.