EIA diesel survey methodology
EIA's Weekly On-Highway Diesel Fuel Price (WHDFP) is the universal anchor for US diesel pricing. Roughly 360 retail outlets across eight regions are surveyed each Monday morning, with results published the same afternoon. [EIA · 13 Jul 2026]
Survey design
EIA samples retail outlets stratified by EIA region. The eight regions roughly track the PADDs with sub-PADD detail for PADD 1 and 5. National average is a volume-weighted aggregate.
Release schedule
Monday 5 p.m. ET (except federal holidays, in which case Tuesday).
How it differs from AAA
AAA pulls a much larger daily OPIS feed; the AAA daily diesel number moves intraweek while EIA holds steady until Monday.
How it differs from GasBuddy
GasBuddy crowdsources station-level prices from app users. Diesel sample is smaller than gasoline (fewer diesel buyers use the app), so state-level GasBuddy diesel can wobble.