Current price
Below normalCurrent diesel price
The current price of diesel in the United States is $5.652 per gallon, the national average for the week of Aug 24, 2026 (EIA), up 19.8 cents from last week.
Data through Aug 24, 2026 · source last checked Aug 25, 2026 · page revised Aug 25, 2026
Cite
- US average
About this data
- Source
- EIA Weekly Retail On-Highway Diesel Price survey
- Series
- US average on-highway retail diesel, No. 2
- Basis
- On-highway retail pump, taxed
- Geography
- United States
- Unit
- $/gal
- Calculation
- Weekly survey, priced as of Monday
- Last observation
- Aug 24, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly
The current price of diesel in the United States is $5.652 per gallon, the national average for the week of Aug 24, 2026 (EIA), up 19.8 cents from last week. A year ago it was $3.708/gal (+52.4% since).
EIA's weekly on-highway diesel survey priced on-highway diesel at $5.652/gal for the week of August 24, the index fuel-surcharge schedules peg to. The price rose 19.8 cents from the prior week. The national number now stands 52% above its five-year median.
| Period | Current | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week over week | $5.652/gal | $5.454/gal | +3.6% |
| vs 4 weeks ago | $5.652/gal | $5.313/gal | +6.4% |
| Year over year | $5.652/gal | $3.708/gal | +52.4% |
| vs 5-yr median | $5.652/gal | $3.708/gal | +52.4% |
What moves the price of diesel
The price on this page is the US average, so the number at any given pump differs from it for structural reasons. Crude oil is the largest input, routinely around half the cost of a gallon before refining, distribution, taxes and station margin are added; when crude moves, the pump follows over days to weeks, and the pump price vs crude oil page tracks that split live.
Geography does the rest. Federal and state fuel taxes differ by state, refining capacity is concentrated on the Gulf Coast, and California runs its own fuel specification, so the same week's national average conceals a wide spread: the regional pages carry each region's own price and the spread pages show each region against the US average in cents per gallon.
Season matters too. Fall harvest and winter heating-oil demand pull on the same distillate barrel diesel comes from, so the number tends to firm into the cold months and ease through the spring shoulder, whatever crude is doing.
For the full structural treatment, Why are diesel prices rising right now? and its falling twin cover the drivers in both directions, and this week's DOE number page carries the same figure in its role as the fuel-surcharge index most US trucking contracts peg to.
Common questions
What is the price of diesel today?
The current price of diesel in the United States is $5.652 per gallon, the national average for the week of Aug 24, 2026 (EIA), up 19.8 cents from last week. This is EIA's weekly survey average across US fuel stations, priced as of Monday, so it is the most current official national figure; the price at any one pump differs by state and region — see diesel prices by region.
Is the price of diesel going up or down right now?
Diesel prices are rising right now. It has risen 2 consecutive weeks. Why are diesel prices rising right now? has the current story.
Where does this diesel price data come from?
From the US Energy Information Administration's weekly retail on-highway diesel survey: nearly 600 stations, priced as of Monday and posted Tuesday morning (a Monday federal holiday slips it to Wednesday). It is taxed pump diesel, the fuel trucks actually buy, not a wholesale or off-road price. The methodology page has the full sourcing.
Why does the price of diesel vary by state?
State fuel taxes differ, most refining capacity sits on the Gulf Coast so freight to reach a region rides in its price, and California requires its own fuel specification. The regional pages carry each region's own average, and the spread pages show each one against the US average in cents per gallon.
Is this the same as the DOE diesel price?
Yes — the DOE number is the trade's name for this exact EIA figure, in its role as the index most US trucking fuel-surcharge schedules peg to. This week's DOE number page carries it with the surcharge and cost-per-mile framing.