The nation’s average price of gasoline has fallen 1.6 cents over the last week and stands at $4.42 per gallon, according to GasBuddy® data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average is up 35.9 cents from a month ago and is $1.34 per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel fell 4.1 cents in the last week and stands at $6.449 per gallon.
“Average gasoline prices fell in slightly more than half of states over the last week, with the Great Lakes seeing the largest declines after a major refinery successfully restarted, while the West Coast moved in the opposite direction as refinery snags there sent prices jumping significantly,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Diesel in the Great Lakes should also begin easing, though that relief may take several more days to materialize. With oil holding below $100 per barrel, many Americans may see modest declines ahead for gasoline and slight drops for diesel, but the West Coast faces continued pressure with further increases possible. The broader geopolitical situation remains fluid and could push prices in either direction with little warning, and with Trump still weighing a diesel export ban, impacts could follow.”
OIL MARKET DYNAMICS
Oil prices surged to start the week after President Trump flatly rejected Iran’s conditional seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters “they made a proposal, but I rejected it” and signaling to aides that U.S. strikes on Iran are expected to resume after November’s midterm elections. Iran had offered to reopen the waterway within seven days if the U.S. lifted its naval blockade, released frozen Iranian assets, and ended military operations—conditions Washington quickly dismissed. The rejection dashed hopes that the United Nations General Assembly sideline diplomacy this past week might yield a breakthrough, and markets moved accordingly. In early Monday trade, WTI was up $2.44 to $94.85 per barrel, well above last Monday’s $97.73 close before Friday’s retreat, while Brent gained $2.55 to $106.87 compared to $101.26 a week ago, with both benchmarks climbing back toward the seven-month highs hit earlier this month and the midterm election timeline now emerging as the market’s next major inflection point. “Oil prices are retesting this month’s highs. Despite more vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, flows remain below pre-conflict levels, keeping the market undersupplied. Prices are further supported by increased Chinese imports, the end of Strategic Petroleum Reserve sales, and renewed U.S.-Iran tensions,” added Giovanni Staunovo, UBS commodities analyst, via e-mail.
OIL AND REFINED PRODUCT SUPPLIES
The EIA’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending September 18, 2026, showed U.S. commercial crude oil inventories rose by 3.0 million barrels and are about 2% above the five-year average for this time of year, while the SPR fell 1.9 million barrels to 280.7 million barrels. Gasoline inventories fell by 1.7 million barrels and are about 6% below the five-year seasonal average, while distillate inventories fell by 0.4 million barrels and are about 12% below the five-year seasonal average. Refinery utilization fell 2.8 percentage points to 94.0%, while implied gasoline demand, the EIA’s proxy for retail demand, fell 390,000 bpd to 8.653 million barrels per day.
GAS PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists was $4.19 per gallon, up 20 cents from a week ago, followed by $4.29, $3.99, $4.39, and $4.09, rounding out the top five most common prices.
The median U.S. gas price is $4.27 per gallon, down 2 cents from last week and about 15 cents lower than the national average.
The top 10% of stations in the country average $5.95 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $3.76 per gallon.
The states with the lowest average prices: Indiana ($3.88), Texas ($3.88), and Mississippi ($3.98).
The states with the highest average prices: California ($6.32), Hawaii ($5.54), and Washington ($5.47).
Biggest weekly changes: Michigan (−21.7¢), Colorado (−20.0¢), Ohio (−18.5¢), Maryland (+14.4¢), California (+14.0¢).
DIESEL PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. diesel price stood at $6.29 per gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $5.99, $6.39, $6.49, and $6.59, rounding out the top five most common prices.
The median U.S. diesel price is $6.29 per gallon, down 10 cents from last week and about 16 cents lower than the national average.
Diesel prices at the top 10% of stations in the country average $7.05 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $5.69 per gallon.
The states with the lowest average diesel prices: Texas ($5.84), Oklahoma ($5.93), and Louisiana ($5.93).
The states with the highest average diesel prices: California ($8.35), Washington ($7.41), and Hawaii ($7.21).
Biggest weekly changes: Hawaii (+22.4¢), Florida (−21.6¢), South Dakota (−17.7¢), Utah (+16.6¢), New Mexico (−15.1¢).