Pennsylvania drivers 40th in the nation in gas consumption

Could that pesky gas tax be taking a toll on Sunday drivers in the Keystone State? Could drivers here be turning to more fuel efficient vehicles, or is pothole avoidance syndrome taking a toll?

Regardless of the cause, it looks as though gas consumption here may be edging down ever so slightly.

A study of Federal Highway Administration statistics found fuel consumption among Pennsylvania drivers slipped from 735.37 gallons per driver per year to 734.27 gallons per driver per year, for a decline of 0.15% between 2013 and 2017.

The decline kicked in as the state’s gas tax increased on Jan. 1, 2017, from 50 cents per gallon to 58.7 cents per gallon — the second highest in the nation.

According to Quote Wizard, the group that crunched the numbers, Pennsylvania drivers ranked 40th in the nation in terms of gasoline consumption.

California drivers — the only licensees in the nation who pay a higher gas tax, 61.2 cents a gallon — ranked 43rd in gas consumption. Gas consumption there slipped from 714 gallons per driver per year in 2013 to 705 gallons per year in 2017, for a 1.2% decline.

Drivers in both states bucked national trends. During that four-year period, the number-crunchers found gas consumption across the nation increased by nearly 2%.

At opposite ends of the gas-guzzling spectrum, drivers in Hawaii averaged 552 gallons of gasoline per year in 2017, compared with 1,619 gallons per driver per year in Wyoming.