U.S. Gasoline Averages $4.07 a Gallon as Imports Drop 32% and Crack Spreads Stay Elevated
Updated
Updated · EIA · Sep 4
U.S. Gasoline Averages $4.07 a Gallon as Imports Drop 32% and Crack Spreads Stay Elevated
2 articles · Updated · EIA · Sep 4
Summary
$4.07 per gallon was the U.S. average for regular gasoline before Labor Day, with West Coast prices reaching $5.21 and Gulf Coast prices at $3.62.
A roughly $1-per-gallon New York Harbor gasoline crack spread since May has kept prices high, far above 2025 peaks near 60 cents, as refiners earn more turning crude into fuel.
Global refining disruptions in Russia, China and the Middle East tightened supply, while U.S. gasoline imports since March ran 32% below the 2021-2025 average; limited Jones Act waivers helped move more Gulf Coast barrels.
Refiners have increasingly favored distillate and jet fuel, where margins are even stronger: distillate crack spreads averaged 74 cents per gallon above gasoline, and U.S. distillate inventories were 14% below average versus gasoline at 6% below.