Gas Prices See Slight Dip; California Refinery Outage Could Push West Coast Higher
by: GasBuddy
Published: October 6, 2025
BOSTON...The nation’s average price of gasoline has fallen 0.3 cents over the last week and stands at $3.08 per gallon, according to GasBuddy® data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average is down 10.8 cents from a month ago and is 4.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased 1.1 cents in the last week and stands at $3.663 per gallon.
“While the national average slipped slightly over the last week, it’s once again been a mixed bag depending on where you fill up,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Gas prices cycled upward in Ohio and Michigan, declined in Indiana and Delaware, and pain is about to return to California and neighboring states following last week’s refinery fire outside Los Angeles. While OPEC again agreed over the weekend to boost oil production for November, the real story for motorists has been regional variation — especially in areas served by California’s supply system. Though the damage from the fire appears limited, the West Coast is likely to see prices climb, while most other areas can expect relative stability or slight declines.”
OIL MARKET DYNAMICS
Oil prices faced downward pressure last week as OPEC+ members agreed to boost oil production again for October, with WTI closing out the week with a loss of over $4 per barrel. However, OPEC+ members met again but announced a smaller-than-expected production increase for November, leading to overnight gains in WTI and Brent prices, trying to claw back ground after last week’s big dip. In early Monday trade, WTI crude oil was up 97 cents per barrel to $61.85, off from last Monday’s $65.19 per barrel start, while Brent crude oil was up $1.03 to $65.56, down from last week’s $69.67 per barrel start. “Oil prices were under pressure last week, driven by the restart of Northern Iraq-Turkey pipeline, media reports suggesting a faster unwind of OPEC+ production cuts, and oil inventory builds in the U.S.,” said Giovanni Staunovo, UBS commodities analyst, via email. “Oil prices are recovering so far this week following a more modest production quota increase by OPEC members.”
OIL AND REFINED PRODUCT SUPPLIES
The EIA’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending September 26, 2025, showed U.S. oil inventories rose by 1.8 million barrels, and are about 4% below the seasonal average for this time of year, while the SPR rose 700,000 barrels to 406.7 million. Gasoline inventories rose by 4.1 million barrels and stand at the five-year seasonal average, while distillate inventories rose by 0.6 million barrels and are about 6% below the five-year seasonal average. Refinery utilization fell 1.6 percentage points to 91.4%, while implied gasoline demand, EIA’s proxy for retail demand, fell 440,000 bpd to 8.518 million barrels per day.
GAS PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $2.99 per gallon, up 10 cents from last week, followed by $2.89, $2.79, $2.69, and $3.09, rounding out the top five most common prices.
The median U.S. gas price is $2.94 per gallon, up 2 cents from last week and about 14 cents lower than the national average. The top 10% of stations in the country average $4.48 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.51 per gallon.
The states with the lowest average prices: Oklahoma ($2.55), Mississippi ($2.67), and Louisiana ($2.70).
The states with the highest average prices: California ($4.64), Hawaii ($4.48), and Washington ($4.48).
Biggest weekly changes: Ohio (+12.7¢), Indiana (-11.3¢), Colorado (-8.9¢), Delaware (-8.9¢), Illinois (-8.4¢)
DIESEL PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. diesel price stood at $3.59 per gallon, down 10 cents from last week, followed by $3.49, $3.69, $3.39, and $3.29, rounding out the top five most common prices.
The median U.S. diesel price is $3.55 per gallon, down 3 cents from last week and about 11 cents lower than the national average. Diesel prices at the top 10% of stations in the country average $4.75 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $3.05 per gallon.
The states with the lowest average diesel prices: Oklahoma ($3.20), Texas ($3.23), and Mississippi ($3.27).
The states with the highest average diesel prices: Hawaii ($5.20), California ($5.11), and Washington ($5.03).
Biggest weekly changes: Texas (+9.6¢), Wyoming (-8.3¢), Michigan (+7.1¢), New Mexico (+5.7¢), Colorado (-4.8¢)