Average U.S. diesel fuel price keeps dropping

For the sixth week in a row, the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel across the U.S. has again dropped, according to a Monday, Feb. 17, report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The EIA reported price drops were reported for every region and subregion, though the size of the decreases are smaller than a week ago. While the average this week is 2 cents lower than the week previous, last week the drop was 4.6 lower than the week before that.

It is 11.6 cents lower than one year ago, according to the EIA.

The price per gallon is below $3 for the East Coast and the subregion of the Lower Atlantic, and also Midwest, Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions.

Average U.S. price for a gallon of diesel as reported by the agency:

• U.S. – $2.89, down 2 cents.
• East Coast – $2.94, down 2.2 cents.
• New England – $3.07, down a half cent.
• Central Atlantic – $3.123, down 2.3 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.793, down 2.3 cents.
• Midwest – $2.757, down 1.9 cents.
• Gulf Coast – $2.658, down 1.7 cents.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.858, down 3.7 cents.
• West Coast – $3.468, down 1.3 cents.
• West Coast without California – $3.081, down 1.7 cents.
• California – $3.774, down 1 cent.

The average diesel fuel price for the U.S. on Monday, Feb. 17, again dropped from the previous Monday, according to ProMiles.com.

Decreases also were reported across the board for all regions and subregions, according to ProMiles.com data. The largest decrease was in the Rock Mountain region, where the 6-cent drop brought the price to $2.847 per gallon.

ProMiles, the software company that maintains the websites ProMiles.com and TruckMiles.com, offers its own weekly fuel price information. The company’s fuel price data are presented in the same format used by the EIA in the agency’s weekly reports. The prices include a national average as well as regional averages, and comparisons to the previous week and the previous year.

A key difference between the EIA and ProMiles reporting is the type and number of fueling stations the company surveys in order to calculate its averages. While EIA surveys 400 truck stops and convenience stores nationwide, ProMiles uses its direct feed from thousands of truck stops to develop its averages.

Here are the average U.S. prices for a gallon of diesel reported for each region by ProMiles.com:

• U.S. – $2.79, down 3.6 cents.
• East Coast – $2.891, down 3.5 cents.
• New England – $3.054, down 2.4 cents.
• Central Atlantic – $3.085, down 4.3 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.763, down 3.5 cents.
• Midwest – $2.746, down 3.7 cents.
• Gulf Coast – $2.643, down 3.5 cents.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.847, down 6 cents.
• West Coast – $3.25, down 2.6 cents.
• West Coast less California – $3.009, down 3.2 cents.
• California – $3.618, down 2.8 cents.

Click here to view ProMiles fuel data averaged by state.

AAA reported the retail average U.S. price per gallon of diesel fuel at $2.877 for Tuesday, Feb. 18.

A week previous the average retail U.S. price for a gallon of diesel fuel was $2.90 per gallon.

A month previous, AAA reported $3.016 per gallon of diesel, and a year ago $2.999 per gallon.

The highest recorded retail average U.S. diesel fuel price was $4.845 per gallon on July 17, 2008, according to AAA.

Here is last week’s report.