U.S. city average · September 2026
Diesel fuel: $6.33 per gallon. Up 70% in a year.
In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $2.61 in January 1998, so it is 143% more expensive now after inflation. This is its highest monthly price on record; the low was $1.09 in February 1999.
Latest · Sep 2026
$6.33
per gallon
In one year
+69.7%
From $3.73
In ten years
+167.1%
From $2.37
Record high
$6.33
September 2026
Solid: the average price in each month, in the dollars of that month. Dashed: the same price restated in Sep 2026 dollars using the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U). Where the dashed line falls, the item got cheaper relative to everything else. Months with no published price are bridged with a straight line.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, average price series APU000074717 (U.S. city average) · CPI-U CUUR0000SA0
Then and now
A January in every decade, against September 2026.
“Now vs then” is the plain change on the shelf. “After inflation” compares the old price in Sep 2026 dollars with today’s: negative means it costs less of a typical paycheck’s buying power than it did.
| Month | Price then | Today’s $ | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2000 | $1.39 | $2.78 | up +354.8% | up +127.8% |
| Jan 2010 | $2.90 | $4.51 | up +118.2% | up +40.3% |
| Jan 2020 | $3.08 | $4.02 | up +105.7% | up +57.5% |
Year by year · 29 years
Yearly averages, newest first.
Averages of the monthly prices in each calendar year. Years with fewer than nine published months are left out; partial years are marked.
| Year | Average | vs year before | Lowest month | Highest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20269 of 12 months | $5.12 | up +39.0% | $3.61 Jan | $6.33 Sep |
| 202511 of 12 months | $3.68 | down −3.9% | $3.54 May | $3.91 Nov |
| 2024 | $3.83 | down −11.4% | $3.52 Dec | $4.08 Mar |
| 2023 | $4.32 | down −13.8% | $3.91 Jul | $4.68 Jan |
| 2022 | $5.01 | up +53.8% | $3.67 Jan | $5.76 Jun |
| 2021 | $3.26 | up +24.2% | $2.66 Jan | $3.69 Nov |
| 2020 | $2.62 | down −14.7% | $2.44 Nov | $3.08 Jan |
| 2019 | $3.07 | down −2.7% | $2.98 Feb | $3.19 May |
| 2018 | $3.16 | up +20.3% | $2.96 Jan | $3.33 Oct |
| 2017 | $2.63 | up +14.6% | $2.48 Jul | $2.89 Dec |
Every year back to 1998
| Year | Average | vs year before | Lowest month | Highest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $2.29 | down −16.5% | $2.04 Feb | $2.46 Dec |
| 2015 | $2.74 | down −28.2% | $2.38 Dec | $2.96 Jan |
| 2014 | $3.82 | down −2.6% | $3.41 Dec | $3.99 Mar |
| 2013 | $3.92 | down −1.9% | $3.83 Nov | $4.09 Feb |
| 2012 | $4.00 | up +3.2% | $3.75 Jul | $4.17 Apr |
| 2011 | $3.88 | up +28.5% | $3.37 Jan | $4.12 May |
| 2010 | $3.02 | up +19.3% | $2.85 Feb | $3.27 Dec |
| 2009 | $2.53 | down −35.4% | $2.18 Mar | $2.83 Nov |
| 2008 | $3.91 | up +32.1% | $2.58 Dec | $4.79 Jul |
| 2007 | $2.96 | up +5.4% | $2.61 Feb | $3.42 Dec |
| 2006 | $2.81 | up +11.7% | $2.60 Feb | $3.10 Aug |
| 2005 | $2.52 | up +31.2% | $2.06 Jan | $3.19 Oct |
| 2004 | $1.92 | up +16.7% | $1.66 Jan | $2.25 Nov |
| 2003 | $1.65 | up +15.4% | $1.57 Jan | $1.87 Mar |
| 2002 | $1.43 | down −7.1% | $1.29 Feb | $1.53 Nov |
| 2001 | $1.53 | down −2.7% | $1.33 Dec | $1.64 Jan |
| 2000 | $1.58 | up +30.1% | $1.39 Jan | $1.70 Oct |
| 1999 | $1.21 | up +3.3% | $1.09 Feb | $1.36 Dec |
| 1998 | $1.17 | — | $1.11 Dec | $1.25 Jan |
About this number
- What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Automotive diesel fuel, per gallon/3.785 liters” across U.S. cities, collected for the Consumer Price Index. It is an average across many stores and brands, not a price at any one store.
- No price for October 2025. BLS did not publish one: data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
- Today’s dollars. Prices are restated in Sep 2026 dollars by multiplying by CPI-U for Sep 2026 (336.94) and dividing by CPI-U for the month in question.