Highway Statistics 2021
Motor Fuel Overview
This section provides information about Federal and State motor fuel consumption, and motor fuel taxes. Fuel consumption is reported from each State on a monthly basis and is typically provided from State tax authority records. The FHWA recognizes that the States' motor-fuel information systems, and, therefore, the data they are able to submit, are organized primarily for the purpose of administering State fuel-tax programs. Because of variations in individual State requirements, reported data are sometimes not comparable among the States. In order to treat States equitably in motor fuel attributions, and include information from all States in the national summary tables published in Highway Statistics on a comparable basis, the FHWA often has to adjust parts of the States' submissions. The adjustment process fits the data to uniform categories so that national characteristics and trends can be analyzed and projected.