Gas taxes by state

Every gallon carries the federal tax of $0.18, and then whatever the state adds. California adds the most at $0.90; Alaska the least at $0.09. The average state levies $0.35.

Highest total tax

$1.08

California, per gallon

Lowest total tax

$0.27

Alaska, per gallon

Spread

$0.81

$12.15 on a 15-gallon fill

Rates effective 2026-01-01 · American Petroleum Institute.

Most of the country pays the same for the fuel. A few places do not.

Subtract every federal and state tax and you get the implied cost of the fuel itself — refining, distribution and the retailer’s margin. For most of the country that number is remarkably flat: 34 of the 51 states sit within $0.25 a gallon of the median of $3.50. Across those states, tax really is the whole story — it is why crossing a state line changes the price at all.

But it would be wrong to say the fuel costs the same everywhere. The full pre-tax range is $2.87 to $4.74 — a spread of $1.87, against $2.06 at the pump — and the top of it is a handful of genuinely isolated fuel markets: Hawaii ($4.74), California ($4.57), Alaska ($4.47), Washington ($4.41), Nevada ($4.12). Hawaii and Alaska import finished fuel by sea; the West Coast runs on its own cleaner-burning blend from a small set of refineries with no pipeline to the rest of the country. Those states pay more for the product before a cent of tax is added.

The pre-tax figure is an estimate: it subtracts a tax rate compiled as of 2026-01-01 from a pump price measured 2026-08-02. It also cannot see county and city fuel taxes, which several states permit on top of the state rate, so it understates the tax share in those states and overstates the product cost.

Gasoline tax by state · USD per gallon · highest first

#	State	State tax	Total tax	Pump	Est. pre-tax	Tax share
1	California	$0.90	$1.08	$5.66	$4.57	19%
2	Illinois+local	$0.67	$0.85	$4.35	$3.49	20%
3	Pennsylvania	$0.58	$0.76	$4.21	$3.45	18%
4	Indiana	$0.56	$0.74	$3.62	$2.87	21%
5	Hawaii+local	$0.53	$0.71	$5.46	$4.74	13%
6	Michigan	$0.53	$0.71	$4.36	$3.65	16%
7	Washington	$0.53	$0.71	$5.13	$4.41	14%
8	Nevada+local	$0.51	$0.69	$4.81	$4.12	14%
9	New York	$0.48	$0.66	$4.22	$3.56	16%
10	Maryland	$0.47	$0.65	$4.15	$3.50	16%
11	New Jersey	$0.45	$0.63	$4.14	$3.50	15%
12	North Carolina	$0.41	$0.59	$3.80	$3.20	16%
13	Oregon	$0.40	$0.58	$4.65	$4.06	13%
14	Florida+local	$0.39	$0.57	$3.84	$3.26	15%
15	Ohio	$0.39	$0.57	$4.08	$3.51	14%
16	Rhode Island	$0.38	$0.56	$4.09	$3.53	14%
17	Utah	$0.37	$0.55	$4.25	$3.70	13%
18	West Virginia	$0.36	$0.54	$3.89	$3.34	14%
19	District of Columbia	$0.34	$0.52	$4.25	$3.72	12%
20	Georgia	$0.34	$0.52	$3.87	$3.35	14%
21	Idaho	$0.33	$0.51	$4.31	$3.80	12%
22	Montana	$0.33	$0.51	$4.28	$3.77	12%
23	Vermont	$0.33	$0.51	$4.21	$3.69	12%
24	Wisconsin	$0.33	$0.51	$3.97	$3.45	13%
25	Minnesota	$0.32	$0.50	$3.95	$3.45	13%
26	Alabama+local	$0.31	$0.49	$3.74	$3.25	13%
27	Iowa	$0.31	$0.49	$3.83	$3.33	13%
28	Nebraska	$0.31	$0.49	$3.92	$3.43	13%
29	Virginia+local	$0.31	$0.49	$3.93	$3.44	13%
30	Maine	$0.30	$0.48	$4.13	$3.65	12%
31	Missouri	$0.30	$0.48	$3.79	$3.31	13%
32	South Dakota	$0.30	$0.48	$4.00	$3.51	12%
33	Colorado	$0.29	$0.47	$4.13	$3.65	11%
34	Kentucky	$0.29	$0.47	$3.70	$3.22	13%
35	South Carolina	$0.29	$0.47	$3.68	$3.21	13%
36	Massachusetts	$0.27	$0.45	$4.12	$3.67	11%
37	Tennessee	$0.27	$0.45	$3.68	$3.22	12%
38	Arkansas	$0.25	$0.43	$3.74	$3.30	12%
39	Connecticut	$0.25	$0.43	$4.20	$3.77	10%
40	Kansas	$0.25	$0.43	$3.75	$3.32	12%
41	New Hampshire	$0.24	$0.42	$4.08	$3.66	10%
42	Wyoming	$0.24	$0.42	$4.14	$3.71	10%
43	Delaware	$0.23	$0.41	$4.16	$3.74	10%
44	North Dakota	$0.23	$0.41	$3.89	$3.47	11%
45	Louisiana	$0.20	$0.38	$3.66	$3.28	10%
46	Oklahoma	$0.20	$0.38	$3.71	$3.33	10%
47	Texas	$0.20	$0.38	$3.60	$3.22	11%
48	Arizona	$0.19	$0.37	$4.44	$4.07	8%
49	New Mexico	$0.19	$0.37	$4.00	$3.62	9%
50	Mississippi	$0.18	$0.36	$3.66	$3.30	10%
51	Alaska	$0.09	$0.27	$4.74	$4.47	6%

Total tax is the state figure plus the federal $0.18 a gallon that every state pays. State tax is the total of excise duty and the other charges states levy on motor fuel — sales tax where it applies, inspection, environmental and storage-tank fees. It is the comparable figure: states split the same burden between excise and fees very differently.“+local” marks states that also permit county or city fuel taxes.

Diesel tax by state

Diesel carries a higher federal tax — $0.24 against $0.18 — and several states widen the gap further. The ten heaviest, and the five lightest.

State	State diesel tax	Total	vs gasoline
California	$1.09	$1.33	+$0.25
Illinois	$0.75	$0.99	+$0.14
Pennsylvania	$0.75	$0.99	+$0.23
Indiana	$0.59	$0.83	+$0.09
Hawaii	$0.54	$0.78	+$0.07
Michigan	$0.53	$0.77	+$0.06
Washington	$0.53	$0.77	+$0.06
Connecticut	$0.52	$0.76	+$0.33
New Jersey	$0.52	$0.76	+$0.13
Maryland	$0.48	$0.72	+$0.07
Louisiana	$0.20	$0.44	+$0.06
Oklahoma	$0.20	$0.44	+$0.06
Texas	$0.20	$0.44	+$0.06
Mississippi	$0.18	$0.42	+$0.06
Alaska	$0.09	$0.33	+$0.06

The tax burden, at a glance

California$1.08 Illinois$0.85 Pennsylvania$0.76 Indiana$0.74 Hawaii$0.71 Michigan$0.71 Washington$0.71 Nevada$0.69 New York$0.66 Maryland$0.65 New Jersey$0.63 North Carolina$0.59

FederalState taxes and fees· twelve heaviest-taxed states

Frequently asked questions

Which state has the highest gas tax?

California has the highest total tax on a gallon of regular gasoline at $1.08 — $0.90 in state taxes and fees plus the $0.18 federal tax that every state pays. Illinois is second at $0.85 and Pennsylvania third at $0.76. Rates as of 2026-01-01.

Which state has the lowest gas tax?

Alaska taxes a gallon of gasoline least, at $0.27 all in — $0.09 of state tax on top of the federal $0.18. That is $0.81 a gallon less than California, or about $12.15 on a 15-gallon fill-up.

How much of the price of gas is tax?

Across the states we hold a current price for, tax accounts for between 6% and 21% of what you pay at the pump. That is far below the European norm, where excise duty and VAT together often exceed half the pump price.

What is the federal gas tax?

$0.18 per gallon on gasoline and $0.24 on diesel. Unchanged since 1993. Includes the 0.1 cent/gal Leaking Underground Storage Tank fee. Because it has never been indexed to inflation, it buys substantially less road maintenance than it did when it was set — which is why so many states have raised their own rates instead.

Why is gas so much more expensive in California?

Two things, roughly equally. California levies $0.55 a gallon more in state taxes and fees than the average state. But unlike most of the country, its fuel also genuinely costs more before tax: about $4.57 a gallon against a national median of $3.50. California requires its own cleaner-burning gasoline blend, made by a small number of in-state refineries with no pipeline connection to the Gulf Coast, so a single refinery outage moves prices there in a way it does not elsewhere. Tax alone does not explain California — it does explain most other states.