U.S. diesel and gasoline prices continued their upward climb this week, according to data tracked by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The national average retail pump price for diesel remained above the $3 per gallon mark this week, jumping 3.2 cents to $3.042 per gallon, which is also 48.6 cents higher per gallon compared to the same time period in 2017, EIA noted
Diesel prices increased in every region of the country this week, the agency said, with prices above the $3 per gallon mark in several key areas:
- California: up 4.5 cents to $3.714 per gallon
- The West Coast: up 4.9 cents to $3.487 per gallon (which shifts to a 5.5 cent increase to $3.202 per gallon with California excluded)
- The Rocky Mountains: up 5.3 cents to $3.044 per gallon
- The Central Atlantic: up 1.6 cents to $3.233 per gallon
- New England: up 2/10ths of a penny to $3.117 per gallon
The national average retail pump price for gasoline also spiked this week, increasing 5.2 cents to $2.70 per gallon. That’s 34 cents per gallon higher compared to the same week in 2017, EIA said.
Gasoline prices increased the most this week in the Rocky Mountain region – up 7.1 cents to $2.599 per gallon – and the Lower Atlantic, where prices jumped 6.3 cents to $2.577 per gallon.
The West Coast is as usual home to the highest average gasoline prices in the country, EIA noted. Prices were up 5.3 cents over last week to $3.327 per gallon, up 5.3 cents over last week, but that changes to a 5.2 cent increased to $2.958 per gallon with California’s prices removed from the mix, the agency said.
