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# US pump price vs Gulf Coast spot

$1.049/gal for the week of Aug 17, 2026: the US average pump price minus Gulf Coast ULSD spot, nearest business day. The gap includes fuel taxes and distribution, so it is a proxy for the retail layer, not a station's margin.

_Data through Aug 17, 2026 · source last checked Aug 25, 2026 · page revised Aug 25, 2026_

> Now $1.049/gal, 30% below the 5-yr median.

The margin proxy (the gap between US pump price and Gulf Coast spot) stands at $1.049/gal for the week of Aug 17. The spread shrank 5.5% on the week and runs 30% below the five-year median.

## The numbers

| Period | Current | Prior | Change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Week over week | $1.049/gal | $1.110/gal | -5.5% |
| vs 4 weeks ago | $1.049/gal | $1.095/gal | -4.2% |
| Year over year | $1.049/gal | $1.539/gal | -31.8% |
| vs 5-yr median | $1.049/gal | $1.497/gal | -29.9% |

## About US pump price vs Gulf Coast spot

This gap is the whole retail layer in one number: federal and state fuel taxes, transportation, storage, wholesale markups and station margin, plus timing differences between the hub and the pump. It is not a station's or a retailer's margin, and we do not call it one. Wide and widening means the pump has not followed the wholesale market down, whatever the reason.

The latest week here can trail the retail pages. Each point pairs a Monday-dated retail price with the nearest spot print on or just before that Monday, and EIA publishes the daily spot series in batches. Until the spot days around a new survey Monday are out, that week cannot be computed, so the newest retail week shows up here a few days later than it does on the price pages.

## About this data

- Source: Derived from EIA retail diesel and ULSD spot
- Series: US pump price vs Gulf Coast spot
- Basis: Retail pump (taxed) minus FOB spot
- Unit: $/gal
- Calculation period: Weekly, spot matched to the nearest business day
- Last observation: Aug 17, 2026
- Update frequency: Weekly

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Cite: US pump price vs Gulf Coast spot: $1.049/gal for the week of Aug 17, 2026. Monday Diesel. https://mondaydiesel.com/margin/us-vs-gulf-coast
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