Average U.S. price for a gallon of diesel drops a half cent

The average price for a gallon of diesel fuel across the U.S. has dropped another half of a cent, according to the weekly report issued for Monday, Sept. 9, by the Energy Information Administration.

This is the ninth consecutive week of decreases. The price slide began with the July 15 report, according to the EIA.

The U.S. average price is 28.7 cents lower than one year ago.

In two regions, the average price increased: the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions.

Central Atlantic states showed the largest average decrease from a week ago, of 1.7 cents.

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

• U.S. – $2.971, down a half of a cent.
• East Coast – 2.992, down four-fifths of a cent.
• New England – $3.022, down a half of a cent.
• Central Atlantic – $3.161, down 1.7 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.871, down three-tenths of a cent.
• Midwest – $2.864, down 1 cent.
• Gulf Coast – $2.745, up a half of a cent.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.933, up nine-tenths of a cent.
• West Coast – $3.548, down seven-tenths of a cent.
• West Coast without California – $3.131, down four-fifths of a cent.
• California – $3.878, down seven-tenths of a cent.

The national average U.S. retail price for diesel fuel dropped less than a penny to $2.87 per gallon on Monday, Sept. 9, 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.

Average regional prices decreased a fraction of a cent everywhere except in California, where the price went down a whole cent, and New England, where the average price increased one-tenth of a cent.

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

• U.S. – $2.87, down three-fifths of a cent.
• East Coast – $2.954, down four-fifths of a cent.
• New England – $3.017, up one-tenth of a cent.
• Central Atlantic – $3.156, down nine-tenths of a cent.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.842, down four-fifths cent.
• Midwest – $2.823, three-fifths of a cent.
• Gulf Coast – $2.74, down a half cent.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.901, down one-fifth of a cent.
• West Coast – $3.371, down nine-tenths of a cent.
• West Coast less California – $3.101, down four-fifths of a cent.
• California – $3.777, down 1 cent.

Click here to view ProMiles fuel data averaged by state.

AAA reported a national average price per gallon for diesel fuel at $2.924 for Monday, Sept 9.

A week previous, the price was $2.93.

A month previous, AAA reported $2.973 per gallon of diesel fuel, and a year ago $3.178 per gallon.

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