Fuel & diesel Diesel price United States
US diesel price for mining contractors: September 2026
US on-highway diesel averaged $6.529 a gallon in the week of 21 Sep 2026 (EIA), up $0.877 in four weeks, a series high. Regional prices and cost per ton.
Contents 8 sections
The US average retail price of on-highway diesel was $6.529 a gallon [$1.725 a litre] in the week of 21 September 2026, up $0.244 on the week and $0.877 on four weeks earlier (EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, released 22 September 2026, read 25 Sep 2026). That is $1.067 above the August 2026 average of $5.462 and the highest weekly figure in EIA’s series, which starts in 1994.
The three September weeks so far ($5.967, $6.285 and $6.529) are the three highest in EIA’s weekly history. The previous high was $5.810 in the week of 20 June 2022 (EIA weekly history). These are nominal dollars, unadjusted for inflation. EIA’s weekly tables do not give a reason for the rise, and this page does not guess at one.
Weekly prices by region
EIA surveys retail stations each week and publishes a US average and averages for the Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADDs). The prices “include all taxes”. All figures are US dollars per gallon.
| Region | 7 Sep 2026 | 14 Sep 2026 | 21 Sep 2026 | Change on week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US average | 5.967 | 6.285 | 6.529 | +0.244 |
| East Coast (PADD 1) | 5.744 | 6.158 | 6.268 | +0.110 |
| New England (PADD 1A) | 5.990 | 6.202 | 6.517 | +0.315 |
| Central Atlantic (PADD 1B) | 6.051 | 6.312 | 6.546 | +0.234 |
| Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) | 5.605 | 6.096 | 6.139 | +0.043 |
| Midwest (PADD 2) | 5.946 | 6.250 | 6.680 | +0.430 |
| Gulf Coast (PADD 3) | 5.754 | 6.027 | 6.177 | +0.150 |
| Rocky Mountain (PADD 4) | 5.805 | 6.066 | 6.340 | +0.274 |
| West Coast (PADD 5) | 6.987 | 7.250 | 7.456 | +0.206 |
| West Coast less California | 6.314 | 6.566 | 6.791 | +0.225 |
| California | 7.764 | 8.039 | 8.246 | +0.207 |
Source: EIA, release of 22 September 2026.
The Gulf Coast was the cheapest region at $6.177 and California the dearest at $8.246. The Midwest rose most in the latest week, by $0.430. Against a year earlier, EIA shows the US average up $2.780 a gallon.
Change on the month
EIA’s monthly figures are “simple averages of the weekly data”, so September’s average will not exist until the month’s last week is in. The table compares the latest week with the week four weeks earlier and with the August 2026 average.
| Region | 24 Aug 2026 | 21 Sep 2026 | Change in 4 weeks | August 2026 average | 21 Sep vs August average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US average | 5.652 | 6.529 | +0.877 | 5.462 | +1.067 |
| East Coast (PADD 1) | 5.498 | 6.268 | +0.770 | 5.356 | +0.912 |
| Midwest (PADD 2) | 5.636 | 6.680 | +1.044 | 5.417 | +1.263 |
| Gulf Coast (PADD 3) | 5.481 | 6.177 | +0.696 | 5.253 | +0.924 |
| Rocky Mountain (PADD 4) | 5.537 | 6.340 | +0.803 | 5.415 | +0.925 |
| West Coast (PADD 5) | 6.407 | 7.456 | +1.049 | 6.254 | +1.202 |
| California | 7.040 | 8.246 | +1.206 | 6.875 | +1.371 |
Sources: EIA weekly by area and EIA monthly by area. Changes are our subtraction of EIA figures.
For context, EIA’s US monthly averages this year were $4.921 in March, $5.501 in April, $5.600 in May, $5.024 in June, $4.955 in July and $5.462 in August.
What is in the pump price
EIA splits the retail price into four parts. For diesel in May 2026, when the retail price was $5.60 a gallon, crude oil was 42%, refining 25%, distribution and marketing 23% and taxes 11% (EIA).
Taxes are the part that off-road use can largely avoid. As of January 2026, EIA puts federal tax on diesel at 24.40 cents a gallon (24.3 cents excise plus a 0.1 cent Leaking Underground Storage Tank fee) and the average of total state taxes at 35.50 cents, excluding county and local taxes (EIA FAQ).
Off-road dyed diesel and tax
Mine plant that never runs on public roads can burn off-road diesel. EIA does not publish a price for it: “we do not publish prices specifically for off-road diesel fuel”. It does say that off-road diesel “is not subject to the state and federal excise taxes applied to the retail sale of diesel fuel used in vehicles operated on public roadways” and is dyed red (EIA FAQ). The IRS confirms that “Only the $0.001 LUST tax applies to dyed diesel fuel” (Publication 510).
As a rough indicator only, taking the 24.3 cent federal excise and the 35.5 cent average state tax off this week’s US on-highway average gives about $5.93 a gallon. That is our arithmetic, not an EIA price: delivered off-road prices depend on your state’s rules, the supplier, delivery charges and contract terms.
Where a site burns clear (undyed) on-highway diesel in off-road plant, the federal tax can be claimed back at $0.243 a gallon. Our guide to the off-highway diesel tax credit sets out which machines qualify and which forms to use.
What it means per 1,000 gallons and per ton
On a fixed-rate contract with no fuel escalation clause, that difference comes straight out of margin. Where a rise-and-fall clause is indexed to the EIA weekly series, check which region and which week the clause names, since the PADD averages above differ by more than $1.20 a gallon.
When the next figure comes
EIA lists the next diesel release for 29 September 2026. That will complete the September weeks, and the October edition of this page will carry the full September average.
Common questions
What is the US average diesel price in September 2026?
EIA’s US average retail price for on-highway diesel was $6.529 a gallon in the week of 21 September 2026, after $6.285 on 14 September and $5.967 on 7 September. The prices include all taxes.
Does EIA publish an off-road diesel price?
No. EIA says it does not publish prices for off-road diesel. Off-road diesel is dyed red and is not subject to the state and federal excise taxes on on-highway diesel, so its price excludes those taxes.
When is the next EIA diesel price released?
EIA’s next release date is 29 September 2026. The figure for the week of 21 September was released on 22 September.
Sources
- Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, EIA, diesel release of 22 September 2026.
- Weekly retail on-highway diesel prices by area, EIA.
- Monthly retail on-highway diesel prices by area, EIA.
- Weekly U.S. No 2 Diesel Retail Prices, full history, EIA.
- Does EIA publish off-road diesel fuel prices?, EIA.
- How much tax do we pay on a gallon of gasoline and on a gallon of diesel fuel?, EIA.
- Publication 510 (12/2025), Excise Taxes, IRS.
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.9, NIST (conversion factors).
