What are you paying for in a gallon of gas?

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Gas prices have fallen across Terre Haute, but some say it's not enough.

Wednesday gas prices hovered around $3.76 per gallon. That’s a drop off from their recent jump, but still higher than the end of July.

That prompted the question: what exactly do you pay for when you buy a gallon of gas?

Your dollars actually go into several different company pockets. The largest part of what we pay for in a gallon is crude oil. Around town, that comes in around $2.50 per gallon. Taxes can make up to around 63 cents of your gallon. That includes state and federal excise taxes and the state’s sales tax. 36 cents goes to distribution and marketing. Then 22 cents heads back to cover refinery costs; there are also small environmental fees as well.

Here's the interesting part:
While it does fluctuate, for each gallon of gas the service station sells, it makes around five cents per gallon.

It's something we rarely think about. With so many different hands in the pie, it makes it hard to see what single one of these makes prices higher.

But, one thing is for sure. Even gas stations are feeling the pain at the pump, right along with consumers.