Pennsylvania places the highest taxes and fees on gasoline in the country, according to the Washington D.C.-based Tax Foundation.
Drivers in the state pay 58.7 cents per gallon in state-imposed taxes and fees, the foundation reports. These levies may include excise taxes, fees related to environmental issues, storage tank levies and general sales taxes.
Only seven states apply sales taxes to gasoline, a practice that effectively layers levies onto one another. The seven states are California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and New York.
The gas taxes studied do not include an 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal excise levy on gasoline.
The foundation deems gas taxes a sensible way for states to fund road repairs, maintenance and highway expansion since those who use the public roads the most pay the most via gas taxes. But some states don’t index the taxes for inflation, meaning that revenues generated through the taxes can lag behind state infrastructure needs over time, according to the analysis.
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Which States Impose the Highest Gas Taxes?
| State | State Taxes and Fees on Gasoline (Cents per Gallon) | Rank (Highest to Lowest) |
| Pennsylvania | 58.7 | 1 |
| California | 55.22 | 2 |
| Washington | 49.4 | 3 |
| Hawaii | 47.88 | 4 |
| New York | 45.76 | 5 |
| Michigan | 44.13 | 6 |
| Connecticut | 43.8 | 7 |
| Indiana | 42.9 | 8 |
| Florida | 41.36 | 9 |
| Illinois | 37.32 | 10 |
| New Jersey | 37.1 | 11 |
| Oregon | 36.77 | 12 |
| West Virginia | 35.7 | 13 |
| North Carolina | 35.35 | 14 |
| Maryland | 35.3 | 15 |
| Rhode Island | 34 | 16 |
| Nevada | 33.78 | 17 |
| Idaho | 33 | 18 |
| Wisconsin | 32.9 | 19 |
| Montana | 32.25 | 20 |
| Georgia | 31.59 | 21 |
| Vermont | 31.22 | 22 |
| Iowa | 30.5 | 23 |
| Maine | 30.01 | 24 |
| South Dakota | 30 | 25 |
| Utah | 29.41 | 26 |
| Nebraska | 28.9 | 27 |
| Minnesota | 28.6 | 28 |
| Ohio | 28.01 | 29 |
| Massachusetts | 26.54 | 30 |
| Tennessee | 26.4 | 31 |
| Kentucky | 26 | 32 |
| Kansas | 24.03 | 33 |
| Wyoming | 24 | 34 |
| New Hampshire | 23.83 | 35 |
| Delaware | 23 | 36 |
| North Dakota | 23 | 36 |
| Virginia | 22.4 | 38 |
| Colorado | 22 | 39 |
| Arkansas | 21.8 | 40 |
| Alabama | 20.91 | 41 |
| South Carolina | 20.75 | 42 |
| Louisiana | 20.01 | 43 |
| Oklahoma | 20 | 44 |
| Texas | 20 | 44 |
| Arizona | 19 | 46 |
| New Mexico | 18.88 | 47 |
| Mississippi | 18.79 | 48 |
| Missouri | 17.35 | 49 |
| Alaska | 14.65 | 50 |
Source: Tax Foundation; American Petroleum Institute
