All states have taxes. Some states have significantly higher taxes than other states. Types of taxes include: property taxes, income taxes, and sales and excise tax. A gas tax, or fuel tax, is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. Gas tax is different for gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and jet fuel. In the United States, the federal motor fuel tax rates are: gasoline tax: $0.184/gallon, diesel tax: $0.244/gallon, aviation fuel tax: $0.194/gallon, and jet fuel tax: $0.219/gallon. This article focuses on gasoline and diesel taxes.
Gas Taxes by State
The average gas tax by the state is 29.15 cents per gallon. Twenty-three states have gas taxes higher than that average, and 27 states have gas taxes lower than that average. This means that the gas tax is relatively well distributed throughout the U.S.—it skewed only slightly toward states with lower taxes. The Gas Tax by state ranges from $0.0895 in Alaska to $0.586 in Pennsylvania. The five states with the highest gas taxes are:
- Pennsylvania ($0.586)
- California ($0.533)
- Washington ($0.519952)
- New Jersey ($0.414)
- New York ($0.4045)
The average gas tax by state is $0.2885 per gallon. Twenty-three states have gas taxes higher than average, and 27 states and D.C. have gas taxes lower than average. This means that the gas tax is relatively well distributed throughout the U.S. and it is only slightly skewed toward states with lower taxes. The five states with the lowest gas taxes are:
- Alaska ($0.0895)
- Hawaii ($0.16)
- Virginia ($162)
- Missouri ($0.1742)
- Mississippi ($0.184)
Diesel Tax by State
Alaska also has the lowest diesel tax at $0.0895, and Pennsylvania also has the highest diesel tax at $0.741. The five states with the highest diesel tax are:
- Pennsylvania ($0.741)
- California ($0.68)
- Washington ($0.519952)
- Indiana ($0.49)
- New Jersey ($0.485)
The average diesel tax by state is $0.3119, higher than the average gas tax. Twenty-two states have diesel taxes higher than the average, and 28 states and D.C. have diesel taxes lower than the average.