Average U.S. diesel price drops a fraction of a cent

The average price for a gallon of diesel fuel across the U.S. is a tiny bit less than a week ago, according to the weekly report issued for Monday, Aug. 5, by the Energy Information Administration.

This is the fourth consecutive week that the U.S. average price has decreased. In the New England and Midwest regions, the average prices rose a small fraction of a cent. Otherwise, decreases were recorded for all regions.

The largest decrease was in the Central Atlantic region, where the average price dropped 1.3 cents.

The Gulf Coast region has the lowest diesel prices, an average of $2.793 per gallon.

Following are the average prices for diesel fuel by region as reported by the EIA for Monday:

• U.S. – $3.032, down one-fifth of a cent.
• East Coast – $3.055, down two-fifths of a cents.
• New England – $3.107, up one-tenth of a cent.
• Central Atlantic – $3.233, down 1.3 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.923, down one-tenth of a cent.
• Midwest – $2.942, down four-fifths of a cent.
• Gulf Coast – $2.793, up one-fifth of a cent.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.965, down one-fifth of a cent.
• West Coast – $3.605, down one-tenth of a cent.
• West Coast without California – $3.182, down two-fifths of a cent.
• California – $3.94, no change.

ProMiles tells a very similar story as the EIA.

The national average U.S. retail price for diesel fuel dropped a fraction of a cent on Monday, Aug. 5, from a week previous, according to ProMiles.

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.

ProMiles agrees with EIA that the largest regional decrease was in the Central Atlantic region, and that average price dropped 1.3 cents per gallon.

Following are the average prices by region as reported by the ProMiles.com:

• U.S. – $2.936, down one-fifth of a cent.
• East Coast – $3.016, down nine-tenths of a cent.
• New England – $3.072, up nine-tenths of a cent.
• Central Atlantic – $3.206, down 1.3 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.907, down two-fifths of a cent.
• Midwest – $2.893, up one-tenth of a cent.
• Gulf Coast – $2.792, down four-fifths of a cent.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.934, down two-fifths of a cent.
• West Coast – $3.426, one-tenth of a cent.
• West Coast less California – $3.129, down two-fifths of a cent.
• California – $3.849, up three-fifths of a cent.

Click here to view ProMiles fuel data averaged by state.

AAA reported a national average price per gallon for diesel fuel at $2.986 for Monday, Aug. 5

A week previous, the price was $2.99.

A month previous, AAA reported $3.007 per gallon of diesel fuel, and a year ago $3.155 per gallon.

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