Every US gallon carries an 18.4¢ federal tax, plus state taxes and fees ranging from about 9¢ (Alaska) to roughly 68¢ (California) — a spread that explains much of why pump prices differ by state. Figures below are approximate state-level totals; rates change (often each January and July).
| State | Ţ/gal | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 68 | Highest in the nation; excise indexed to inflation, plus cap-and-trade and LCFS program costs on top | |
| Illinois | 67 | Doubled in 2019 and indexed; localities can add more (Chicago area highest) | |
| Pennsylvania | 59 | Levied at the wholesale level | |
| Washington | 53 | Plus carbon cap-and-invest compliance costs | |
| Indiana | 51 | Excise plus a gasoline use (sales) tax that floats with prices | |
| Michigan | 47 | Excise plus 6% sales tax applied to fuel | |
| Maryland | 46 | Indexed to inflation | |
| New York | 46 | Multiple stacked taxes; partial supplier-tax holiday since 2022 | |
| New Jersey | 45 | Rate adjusts automatically to hit a revenue target | |
| Oregon | 40 | No sales tax; piloting road-usage charging for EVs |
| State | Ţ/gal | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 9 | Lowest in the nation |
| Mississippi | 18 | Unchanged since 1989 |
| Hawaii | 19 | State rate; counties add their own |
| New Mexico | 19 | |
| Arizona | 19 | Unchanged since 1991 |
| Texas | 20 | Unchanged since 1991 |
| Oklahoma | 20 | |
| Louisiana | 20 | |
| Missouri | 27 | Phased increases since 2021 from a long-time 17¢ |
| South Carolina | 29 | Rose from 17¢ via phased increases through 2022 |
Approximate state-level per-gallon taxes and fees (excise + other), rounded, as of ~2025 — hand-checked against API and state publications, but rates change; verify before citing precisely. Add the 18.4¢ federal tax to any row. See actual pump prices by state and the full pump-price breakdown.
The federal excise tax is 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel — unchanged since 1993 and not indexed to inflation, which is why its real value has eroded by more than half.
California, at roughly 68 cents per gallon in state taxes and fees (plus the 18.4-cent federal tax) — and that's before program costs like cap-and-trade that add more. Illinois and Pennsylvania follow. Alaska is lowest at about 9 cents.
At today's national average of $4.01 per gallon, the federal tax is about 5% and the average combined federal+state burden of roughly 50–55 cents is about 13% of the pump price. In high-tax states it approaches 20%.
Primarily roads: the federal tax feeds the Highway Trust Fund, and most state fuel taxes are constitutionally or statutorily dedicated to transportation. Because the federal rate has been frozen since 1993 while construction costs rose and EVs pay nothing at the pump, most states have raised, indexed or restructured their fuel taxes since 2013.