Americans are feeling pain at the pump — but just how much varies from coast to coast.
Drivers in New York pay some of the lowest gas tax in the nation at 24.2 cents per gallon, while their West Coast counterparts in California have to shell out 73.6 cents per gallon — or the highest in the country.
Drivers in California are paying a whopping 73.6 cents per gallon in tax on gasoline, more than any other state, as new data reveals the staggering costs of driving across the country.
California’s gas tax increased by 2.7 cents per gallon in 2026, maintaining the state’s place as the highest gas tax in the nation.
Liberal Illinois is second with gas taxes of 70.4 cents on the gallon, following by Indiana (63.1 cents per gallon), Washington (60.2 cents per gallon), and Pennsylvania (58.7 cents per gallon), according to the report from the Tax Foundation.
New York sits in the bottom third of the chart, with taxes of just 24.2 cents per gallon.
Alaska has the lowest state gas tax rates, with just 8.9 cents per gallon.
But simple gas taxes aren’t the only factor in rising prices.
Environmental programs such as carbon taxes, cap-and-trade systems, and clean fuel standards can all increase retail gasoline prices because, unlike traditional gas taxes that function as user fees to construct and maintain roads, environmental policies are designed to alter behavior and discourage fuel consumption, according to the report’s authors.
California’s cap-and-trade program is estimated to add about 23 cents per gallon, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Meanwhile, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard adds between 19 and 52 cents per gallon, as drivers in the Golden State face a total direct and indirect tax and regulatory burden of around $1.16 per gallon, according to official figures.
Certain localities also add substantial local fuel levies on top of state rates, with drivers in particular regions seeing gas prices soar.
Local taxes in Maui, Hawaii add up to 24 cents per gallon, while local indexing levies in Washoe County, Nevada, add a stunning 67.8 cents per gallon — exceeding the state tax rate of almost every other state.
California and other West Coast states are particularly vulnerable to shocks to global gas prices caused by external factors such as the war in Iran, due to lower refining capacity and higher fuel transportation costs, according to the report.
Since the start of the conflict in late February, the global gas supply has tightened, compounding tax burdens in states that calculate gas taxes on a percentage of price basis, such as Indiana.
With more and more drivers now turning to electric vehicles, states facing a decrease in revenue from gas taxes are scrambling to find new sources of revenue.
Most states are now charging electric vehicle drivers an additional fee to account for lost gas tax revenue, with many considering replacing gas taxes entirely with vehicle miles traveled taxes instead.
This would charge drivers per mile driven, taking away from the previous policy of penalizing vehicles with worse fuel efficiency.
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