It’s been estimated that almost 40 percent of the retail price you pay for beer goes to state and federal taxes…
States levy different levels of taxes on beer. And according to data compiled by the Tax Foundation those taxes can range from a meager two cents per gallon in Wyoming, to a hefty $1.29 per gallon in Tennessee.
Beer taxes fall into the realm of what is commonly described as sin taxes…Taxes levied on activities that a society judge’s unfavorably and it appears that drinking beer is one of those activities….
And sometimes the taxation rationale defies reason…
According to 24/7 Wall St, “New Hampshire, the state with the highest per capita beer consumption, charges 30 cents per gallon of beer while Utah, the state with the lowest per-capita consumption, charges 41 cents per gallon.”
And in an effort to help you better plan your next beercation, here are the beer excise tax rates (Dollars per gallon) for every state in the union as of January 2019…
State | Tax Rate | Rank | 2017 Per capita consumption (gal.) |
---|---|---|---|
U.S. | $0.58 | N/A | 26.4 |
Alabama | $0.53 | 8 | 28.9 |
Alaska | $1.07 | 2 | 26 |
Arizona | $0.16 | 36 | 26.6 |
Arkansas | $0.34 | 19 | 23.7 |
California | $0.20 | 30 | 25.1 |
Colorado | $0.08 | 46 | 28.3 |
Connecticut | $0.23 | 27 | 20.2 |
Delaware | $0.26 | 24 | 28.7 |
Florida | $0.48 | 10 | 26.3 |
Georgia | $0.48 | 10 | 24 |
Hawaii | $0.93 | 3 | 28.5 |
Idaho | $0.15 | 38 | 25.9 |
Illinois | $0.23 | 28 | 27.4 |
Indiana | $0.12 | 43 | 23.4 |
Iowa | $0.19 | 32 | 31.7 |
Kansas | $0.18 | 33 | 25.7 |
Kentucky | $0.87 | 4 | 23.6 |
Louisiana | $0.40 | 16 | 29.6 |
Maine | $0.35 | 18 | 33.8 |
Maryland | $0.54 | 7 | 20.2 |
Massachusetts | $0.11 | 44 | 23.6 |
Michigan | $0.20 | 29 | 25.3 |
Minnesota | $0.49 | 9 | 28.4 |
Mississippi | $0.43 | 12 | 30.9 |
Missouri | $0.06 | 49 | 27.7 |
Montana | $0.14 | 40 | 39.4 |
Nebraska | $0.31 | 20 | 33.3 |
Nevada | $0.16 | 36 | 32.9 |
New Hampshire | $0.30 | 21 | 40.6 |
New Jersey | $0.12 | 42 | 20.6 |
New Mexico | $0.41 | 15 | 28.8 |
New York | $0.14 | 39 | 21.9 |
North Carolina | $0.62 | 6 | 25 |
North Dakota | $0.42 | 13 | 38.3 |
Ohio | $0.18 | 34 | 27.3 |
Oklahoma | $0.40 | 16 | 25.1 |
Oregon | $0.08 | 45 | 30 |
Pennsylvania | $0.08 | 46 | 26.4 |
Rhode Island | $0.12 | 41 | 23 |
South Carolina | $0.77 | 5 | 30.9 |
South Dakota | $0.27 | 22 | 38.2 |
Tennessee | $1.29 | 1 | 24.4 |
Texas | $0.20 | 31 | 31.8 |
Utah | $0.41 | 14 | 18.7 |
Vermont | $0.27 | 23 | 32.8 |
Virginia | $0.26 | 26 | 24.4 |
Washington | $0.26 | 25 | 24.7 |
Washington D.C. | $0.71 | (6) | N/A |
West Virginia | $0.18 | 35 | 27.4 |
Wisconsin | $0.06 | 48 | 34.3 |
Wyoming | $0.02 | 50 | 29.5 |