# DOE Diesel Up 9.7 Cents to $6.276, California at $8.242/Gal _Oct 20, 2026_ > The DOE number rises 9.7 cents to $6.276/gal, now 71% above the five-year median. At the stated 6.5 mpg reference, fuel runs 96.6 cents a mile. California sits at $8.242/gal, West-Gulf spread at 149.1 cents. _Numbers as of Oct 20, 2026 pull._ The DOE number (EIA's weekly on-highway diesel survey, week of Oct. 19) came in at **$6.276/gal**, up 9.7 cents on the week. At the stated 6.5 mpg reference, that is **96.6 cents a mile**, and the move adds about **$7.46** to the fuel bill on a 500-mile haul. The index sits 71% above the five-year median for this calendar week. [Chart: Diesel fuel cost per mile (at 6.5 mpg)](https://mondaydiesel.com/costpermile/diesel-cost-per-mile) ([data](https://mondaydiesel.com/costpermile/diesel-cost-per-mile.md) — chart image: https://mondaydiesel.com/charts/costpermile/diesel-cost-per-mile/chart.png) - **Midwest (PADD 2):** $6.352/gal, up 1% week over week per EIA's survey, 76% above the five-year median, the largest above-median reading of any region in this week's release. - **Gulf Coast (PADD 3):** $5.903/gal, up 2% week over week, the lowest-priced region nationally and 73% above its five-year median. - **Rocky Mountain (PADD 4):** $6.422/gal, up 2% week over week, 72% above the five-year median. - **California:** $8.242/gal, up 2% week over week, 68% above the five-year median. - **West Coast (PADD 5):** $7.394/gal, up 2% week over week. The West-vs-Gulf gap stands at 149.1 cents/gal over the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) at $5.903/gal. - **WTI crude (Cushing spot):** $101.91/bbl as of Oct. 14, up 7% on the week per EIA's daily spot series. Over the same span, the DOE number rose 9.7 cents; crude is roughly half the cost of a gallon of diesel and reaches the pump with a lag of days to weeks. Gulf Coast ULSD spot was $4.844/gal and New York Harbor ULSD spot was $5.066/gal, both as of Oct. 14, per EIA's daily spot series. The retail-minus-spot gap puts the US pump price $1.432/gal over Gulf Coast spot, a figure that includes fuel taxes and the full distribution layer, not a station's margin. --- Canonical URL: https://mondaydiesel.com/issues/2026-10-20