In May 2025, one gallon of diesel cost an average of 3.5 U.S. dollars in the United States. That was a decrease compared to the month prior, and also lower than prices in May 2024. Impact of crude prices on motor fuel consumer prices Diesel prices are primarily determined by the cost of crude oil. In fact, crude oil regularly accounts for around 50 percent of end consumer prices of diesel. As such, supply restrictions or weak demand outlooks influence prices at the pump. The fall in diesel prices noted in the latter half of 2024 is a reflection of lower crude prices. Diesel and gasoline price development The usage of distillate fuel oil began in the 1930s, but until further development in the 1960s, diesel vehicles were mostly applied to commercial use only. In the U.S., diesel-powered cars remain a fairly small portion of the automobile market and diesel consumption is far lower than gasoline consumption. In general, gasoline also tends to be more widely available than diesel fuel and usually sells for a lower retail price. However, diesel engines have better fuel economy than gasoline engines, and, as such, tend to be used for large commercial vehicles.

Crude oil is the greatest cost component determining diesel retail prices in the United States. In February 2025, 49 percent of the diesel retail price was set by crude oil costs. That month, one gallon of diesel sold for an average of 3.68 U.S. dollars. U.S. diesel prices have generally stagnated in early 2025. Fuel consumption remains high despite higher prices Diesel and gasoline prices have experienced significant fluctuations over the past decades. In 2024, the average gasoline price stood at 3.3 U.S. dollars per gallon, a decrease from the 2022 peak but still higher than early 2000s levels. Despite these changes, U.S. gasoline consumption has remained high, averaging around 8.5 million barrels per day in 2024, with seasonal variations affecting demand. Tax impact on fuel costs across states Taxes play a significant role in determining fuel prices, with state-level differences creating notable price variations across the country. As of 2023, the average state tax for gasoline was 30.5 U.S. cents per gallon, while diesel faced a slightly higher average tax of 33.15 U.S. cents. These taxes contribute to the overall retail price and are often reinvested in road infrastructure. California, for instance, imposes some of the highest gasoline taxes in the country, reaching 68.1 U.S. cents per gallon in January 2024, which significantly impacts the state's fuel prices.

Graph and download economic data for Average Price: Automotive Diesel Fuel (Cost per Gallon/3.785 Liters) in U.S. City Average (APU000074717) from Jan 1998 to May 2025 about diesel, energy, retail, price, and USA.

The average price for regular gasoline in the United States stood at **** U.S. dollars per gallon on July 14, 2025. This compared to a diesel price of **** U.S. dollars per gallon. Prices for gasoline and diesel increased that week following greater demand. Real price surge of 2022 and 2023 still below 2011 to 2014 prices When looking at the real price of gasoline over time, U.S. drivers had to pay notably more in the years between 2011 and 2014. The surge in prices noted throughout 2022 and partly for 2023, which followed supply constraints, was still lower in terms of real U.S. dollars. U.S. on the lower-end spectrum of worldwide motor fuel prices The U.S. has some of the lowest conventional motor fuel prices in the world. Although fuel prices are usually higher in high-income countries, the U.S. profits from its position as the world’s largest crude oil producer and can keep retail prices for oil products comparatively low. For example, among high-income countries, prices for automotive premium gasoline (RON 95) were only lower in Russia and Saudi Arabia - countries where crude oil and oil product exports are in part restricted by sanctions, thus keeping domestic supply high.

Graph and download economic data for US Diesel Sales Price (GASDESM) from Apr 1994 to Jun 2025 about diesel, sales, commodities, and USA.

The cost of diesel fuel in the United States reached an annual average of 3.76 U.S. dollars per gallon in 2024. This was a decrease compared to the previous year, when diesel sold for an average of 4.21 U.S. dollars per gallon. In 2022, increased economic activity and thus fuel demand combined with supply constraints following the Russia-Ukraine war, which resulted in a notable rise in monthly diesel prices Crude oil prices and their impact on motor fuel prices Motor fuel prices largely mirror major oil benchmarks, such as the OPEC reference basket, WTI, and Brent. As such, the oil glut in 2015 and 2016, which followed years of increased oil production output by the U.S., is largely responsible for the fall in diesel prices seen in those years. The same is true for the 2020 pandemic-induced oil crisis and fall in benchmarks that year. Diesel and gasoline price development The usage of diesel began in the 1930s, but until further development in the 1960s, diesel vehicles were mostly used commercially. In the U.S., diesel-powered cars remain a fairly small portion of the automobile market and diesel fuel consumption is far lower than gasoline consumption. In general, gasoline also tends to be more widely available than diesel fuel and usually sells for a lower retail price. However, diesel engines have better fuel economy than gasoline engines, and as such are often used for large commercial vehicles.

Weekly on-highway diesel prices (dollars per gallon) from the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration. This data includes the average diesel fuel price for the U.S. and five Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADDs) (including PADD subcomponents). There are ten variables in total: "U.S."; "East Coast" (PADD1), broken out further by "New England" (PADD1A), "Central Atlantic" (PADD1B), and "Lower Atlantic" (PADD1C); "Midwest" (PADD2); "Gulf Coast" (PADD3); "Rocky Mountain" (PADD4); and "West Coast" (PADD5), broken out further by "West Coast excluding California" and "California." See link below for the states included in each region.

United States - US Diesel Sales Price was 3.49900 $ per Gallon in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - US Diesel Sales Price reached a record high of 5.75400 in June of 2022 and a record low of 0.95900 in February of 1999. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - US Diesel Sales Price - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Ultra-Low-Sulfur No. 2 Diesel Fuel Prices: U.S. Gulf Coast (MDFUELUSGULF) from Jun 2006 to Jun 2025 about diesel, fuels, commodities, and USA.

This dataset contains information about Daily Diesel Spot Price from 1996.Data collected from US Energy Information Administration.Notes:Ultra-Low-Sulfur No. 2 Diesel FuelNo. 2 Diesel Fuel: A gasoil type distillate for use in high speed diesel engines generally operated under uniform speed and load conditions, with distillation temperatures between 540-640 degrees Fahrenheit at the 90-percent recovery point; and the kinematic viscosities between 1.9-4.1 centistokes at 100 degrees Fahrenheit as defined in ASTM specification D975-93. Includes Type R-R diesel fuel used for railroad locomotive engines, and Type T-T for diesel-engine trucks.For pricing data: Ultra-Low Sulfur or On-Highway Diesel Fuel is No. 2 diesel fuel which has a sulfur level less than or equal to 15 ppm (parts per million); Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel is No. 2 diesel fuel which has a sulfur level greater than 15 and less than or equal to 500 ppm; and High Sulfur refers to No. 2 distillate (either diesel or fuel oil) which has a sulfur level greater than 500 ppm.Includes: New York Harbor Ultra-Low Sulfur No 2 Diesel Spot Price (Dollars per Gallon)2. U.S. Gulf Coast Ultra-Low Sulfur No Diesel Spot Price (Dollars per Gallon)Los Angeles, CA Ultra-Low Sulfur CARB Diesel Spot Price (Dollars per Gallon)

Context

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Jan 2021).

Content

The data contains the following information: - A1: Weekly U.S. All Grades All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - A2: Weekly U.S. All Grades Conventional Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - A3: Weekly U.S. All Grades Reformulated Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - R1: Weekly U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - R2: Weekly U.S. Regular Conventional Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - R3: Weekly U.S. Regular Reformulated Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - M1: Weekly U.S. Midgrade All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - M2: Weekly U.S. Midgrade Conventional Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - M3: Weekly U.S. Midgrade Reformulated Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - P1: Weekly U.S. Premium All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - P2: Weekly U.S. Premium Conventional Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - P3: Weekly U.S. Premium Reformulated Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - D1: Weekly U.S. No 2 Diesel Retail Prices (Dollars per Gallon)

Acknowledgements

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Jan 2021) https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_gnd_dcus_nus_w.htm

Copyrights and Reuse

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Inspiration

What makes the price of the diesel fluctuate so much?

Graph and download economic data for Average Price: Automotive Diesel Fuel (Cost per Gallon/3.785 Liters) in the Northeast Census Region - Size Class A (APUS10074717) from Jan 1998 to May 2025 about diesel, energy, retail, price, and USA.

The majority of the price for one gallon of regular gasoline and diesel fuel in the United States is crude oil. This accounted for a 51 percent share of the price of one gallon of regular gasoline gasoline and a 45 percent share of the price of one gallon of diesel fuel in the U.S. as of April 2023. The price share for taxes for both fuels was the same, accounting for 14 percent of the total price.

As of that month, one gallon of regular gasoline had a retail price of 3.60 U.S. dollars, while one gallon of diesel had a retail price of 4.10 U.S. dollars.

United States - Ultra-Low-Sulfur No. 2 Diesel Fuel Prices: U.S. Gulf Coast was 2.36500 $ per Gallon in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Ultra-Low-Sulfur No. 2 Diesel Fuel Prices: U.S. Gulf Coast reached a record high of 3.50900 in January of 2022 and a record low of 1.19500 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Ultra-Low-Sulfur No. 2 Diesel Fuel Prices: U.S. Gulf Coast - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

United States - Average Price: Automotive Diesel Fuel (Cost per Gallon/3.785 Liters) in U.S. City Average was 3.59000 Index in April of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Average Price: Automotive Diesel Fuel (Cost per Gallon/3.785 Liters) in U.S. City Average reached a record high of 5.75800 in June of 2022 and a record low of 1.09400 in February of 1999. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Average Price: Automotive Diesel Fuel (Cost per Gallon/3.785 Liters) in U.S. City Average - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on May of 2025.

Analysis of ‘U.S. Gasoline and Diesel Retail Prices 1995-2021’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://www.kaggle.com/mruanova/us-gasoline-and-diesel-retail-prices-19952021 on 28 January 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

Context

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Jan 2021).

Content

The data contains the following information: - A1: Weekly U.S. All Grades All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - A2: Weekly U.S. All Grades Conventional Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - A3: Weekly U.S. All Grades Reformulated Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - R1: Weekly U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - R2: Weekly U.S. Regular Conventional Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - R3: Weekly U.S. Regular Reformulated Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - M1: Weekly U.S. Midgrade All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - M2: Weekly U.S. Midgrade Conventional Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - M3: Weekly U.S. Midgrade Reformulated Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - P1: Weekly U.S. Premium All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - P2: Weekly U.S. Premium Conventional Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - P3: Weekly U.S. Premium Reformulated Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon) - D1: Weekly U.S. No 2 Diesel Retail Prices (Dollars per Gallon)

Acknowledgements

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Jan 2021) https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_gnd_dcus_nus_w.htm

Copyrights and Reuse

https://www.eia.gov/about/copyrights_reuse.php

Public domain and use of EIA content

U.S. government publications are in the public domain and are not subject to copyright protection. You may use and/or distribute any of our data, files, databases, reports, graphs, charts, and other information products that are on our website or that you receive through our email distribution service. However, if you use or reproduce any of our information products, you should use an acknowledgment, which includes the publication date, such as: "Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2008)."

Quoting EIA content and translations

When quoting EIA text, the acknowledgment should clearly indicate which text is EIA content and which is not. When translating EIA content into another language, please indicate the organization responsible for the translation and provide a link back to the original EIA web page in the acknowledgment.

Inspiration

What makes the price of the diesel fluctuate so much?

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

In April 2025, the New York Harbor diesel fuel price was approximately 2.13 U.S. dollars per gallon. This was notably lower than the price recorded the previous year and a result of lower crude oil prices. The spot prices of Los Angeles, California ultra-low-sulfur No. 2 diesel fuel tended to be the highest in the period shown. California drivers experience some of the country's highest gasoline and diesel prices as it is among the U.S. states with the highest gas tax.

Graph and download economic data for Average Price: Automotive Diesel Fuel (Cost per Gallon/3.785 Liters) in the Mountain Census Division (APU048074717) from Jan 2018 to May 2025 about diesel, energy, retail, price, and USA.

In February 2025, crude oil accounted for a 58 percent share of the retail cost of gasoline in the United States. Crude oil costs are the greatest determining factor for petroleum product prices such as gasoline. This is also reflected in the U.S. diesel price breakdown, with crude oil making up 49 percent of the retail price that same month. U.S. gasoline cost breakdown The end price that consumers pay for gasoline in the U.S. is made up of several different components. The weighting of these different costs in the end price of gasoline is also very dynamic depending on the market. In April 2020, just 25 percent of the cost of one U.S. gallon of gasoline was from the cost of crude oil, as a result of the 2020 oil crisis. Other cost components are those associated with refining, distribution and marketing, and taxes. Residents in California pay the highest gasoline taxes out of all U.S. states, at 68.1 cents per gallon as of January 2024. U.S. gasoline prices Since 1980, U.S. gasoline prices have fluctuated greatly, usually reflecting the volatile nature of crude oil prices. The U.S. has some of the lowest unleaded premium prices in the world. When looking at the real U.S. gasoline price to end users, figures amounted to 1.24 real U.S. dollars per gallon in 2023. This ‘real’ U.S. dollars figure refers to the purchasing power of one U.S. dollar relative to the period of time between 1982 and 1984.

Gasoline rose to 2.19 USD/Gal on July 11, 2025, up 1.65% from the previous day. Over the past month, Gasoline's price has risen 1.03%, but it is still 12.72% lower than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Gasoline - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.