How EIA Gas Price Data Works (and How to Read It Correctly)

How EIA collects its weekly retail gasoline and diesel prices, what the national, regional and state series mean, and their limits.

Updated October 8, 2026

The U.S. Energy Information Administration surveys a sample of retail stations every Monday morning and publishes national and regional averages, usually the same day.

What the series cover

• National averages for regular, midgrade, premium and diesel.
• PADD regions (East Coast, Midwest, Gulf Coast, Rocky Mountain, West Coast).
• Selected states and cities such as California, Texas, Florida, New York, Houston and Los Angeles.

Limits to keep in mind

• It is a weekly snapshot, not a daily or live price.
• It is an average: individual stations can be well above or below.
• Not every state has its own EIA series.

How FuelPriceAtlas uses it

Our U.S. pages show EIA averages with their date and unit (dollars per gallon) and keep them separate from station directories. See the latest values in the box above and the history on the trends page.

Frequently asked questions