Prices from the EIA Weekly On-Highway Diesel Fuel Price survey, refreshed weekly. EIA prices the US, its districts and California only, so state pages show a district figure. Confirm at the pump before fueling. Full disclaimer
DIESELCOST

US diesel price history: annual averages, records and the current outlook

Latest weekly reading $5.599/gal, EIA survey week of August 31, 2026. Annual figures are EIA published annual averages for series EMD_EPD2D_PTE_NUS_DPG. Public domain.

Annual average US diesel price, 1995 to 2026

$1.11
1995
$1.24
1996
$1.20
1997
$1.04
1998
$1.12
1999
$1.49
2000
$1.40
2001
$1.32
2002
$1.51
2003
$1.81
2004
$2.40
2005
$2.71
2006
$2.88
2007
$3.80
2008
$2.47
2009
$2.99
2010
$3.84
2011
$3.97
2012
$3.92
2013
$3.83
2014
$2.71
2015
$2.30
2016
$2.65
2017
$3.18
2018
$3.06
2019
$2.55
2020
$3.29
2021
$4.99
2022
$4.21
2023
$3.76
2024
$3.66
2025
$4.86
2026

Amber is 2026, a year-to-date mean of 35 weekly observations rather than an EIA annual figure. Red is 2022, the highest annual average in the series at $4.989. Series EMD_EPD2D_PTE_NUS_DPG, annual frequency. EIA publishes no annual diesel average before 1995, so earlier years are omitted rather than estimated.

YearAnnual avg ($/gal)Change from prior yearNotes
2026$4.864+1.204Mean of 35 weekly observations through 2026-08-31. Not an EIA annual figure.
2025$3.660-0.100
2024$3.760-0.454
2023$4.214-0.775
2022$4.989+1.702Russia and Ukraine; the all-time weekly high in this series
2021$3.287+0.736
2020$2.551-0.505COVID demand collapse
2019$3.056-0.122
2018$3.178+0.528
2017$2.650+0.346
2016$2.304-0.403
2015$2.707-1.118
2014$3.825-0.097OPEC supply glut begins; the fall runs into 2015 and 2016
2013$3.922-0.046
2012$3.968+0.128
2011$3.840+0.848
2010$2.992+0.525
2009$2.467-1.336
2008$3.803+0.918Financial crisis: crude peaked in July then collapsed through December
2007$2.885+0.180
2006$2.705+0.303
2005$2.402+0.592
2004$1.810+0.301
2003$1.509+0.190
2002$1.319-0.082
2001$1.401-0.090
2000$1.491+0.370
1999$1.121+0.077
1998$1.044-0.154
1997$1.198-0.037
1996$1.235+0.126
1995$1.109-

The last 14 survey weeks

Survey weekUS average ($/gal)Change
2026-06-01$5.350-
2026-06-08$5.210-0.140
2026-06-15$5.059-0.151
2026-06-22$4.832-0.227
2026-06-29$4.668-0.164
2026-07-06$4.578-0.090
2026-07-13$4.796+0.218
2026-07-20$5.134+0.338
2026-07-27$5.313+0.179
2026-08-03$5.348+0.035
2026-08-10$5.257-0.091
2026-08-17$5.454+0.197
2026-08-24$5.652+0.198
2026-08-31$5.599-0.053

Over this window the series ran from $4.578 (week of 2026-07-06) to $5.652 (week of 2026-08-24). Series EMD_EPD2D_PTE_NUS_DPG.

EIA diesel price outlook

These are projections from the EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook, a different EIA product from the weekly survey above, revised every month. Series DSRTUUS, retail price including taxes.

PeriodProjected US average ($/gal)
2025 full year$3.66
2026 full year$4.85
2027 full year$4.07
2026-Q1$4.05
2026-Q2$5.37
2026-Q3$5.18
2026-Q4$4.86
2027-Q1$4.38
2027-Q2$4.13
2027-Q3$3.94
2027-Q4$3.82

EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook, retail price projections including taxes. A monthly 18-month projection, revised each month, and a different product from the weekly retail survey. EIA publishes these in cents per gallon; converted to dollars per gallon here. A full-year projection can sit below the latest weekly reading when prices ran under it earlier in the year.

FAQ

What was the highest diesel price ever recorded in the US? +
The highest weekly US national average on-highway diesel price in the EIA survey is $5.810 per gallon, the week of 2022-06-20, in nominal dollars. That followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine: sanctions and embargoes pushed Europe toward US exports and drained US distillate inventories on top of already-tight post-COVID supply. The series runs from 1994-03-21 and covers 1,694 weekly observations (EMD_EPD2D_PTE_NUS_DPG). Its lowest reading is $0.953, the week of 1999-02-22.
What does the EIA project for diesel prices? +
The EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook (series DSRTUUS) projects a US retail diesel average of $4.85 per gallon for 2026 and $4.07 for 2027, including taxes. The Outlook is a separate EIA product from the weekly survey and is revised every month, so treat it as a projection rather than an observation. The full-year figure can sit below the latest weekly reading when prices ran under it earlier in the year: the 2026 year-to-date mean of the weekly series is $4.864 against a latest week of $5.599.
How does 2026 compare with 2022? +
In 2026 the weekly series has run between $3.459 (week of 2026-01-12) and $5.652 (week of 2026-08-24), against the all-time weekly high of $5.810 in 2022-06-20. The causes differ. The 2022 spike was a geopolitical supply shock landing on a post-COVID freight surge. The current elevation reflects longer-running inventory tightness: sustained global distillate demand, slower refinery capacity additions than expected, and extended European heating demand. Both episodes show how sharply diesel reprices when distillate inventories sit below the five-year average.
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SOURCE
EIA Weekly On-Highway Diesel Fuel Price survey
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