What is a PADD?
EIA's petroleum districts — the regions behind every regional DOE diesel price
- PADDs — Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts — are the five fuel-supply regions EIA reports petroleum statistics by, drawn for WWII fuel rationing in 1942 and still in use.
- This week the regional spread is $1.536: California at $6.471 vs Rocky Mountain at $4.935 (week of ).
- EIA publishes weekly diesel for the U.S., 9 regional cuts, and one state: California. No other state has an official weekly series.
When a fuel-surcharge schedule says “DOE Midwest” or “PADD 3,” it means one of EIA's petroleum districts:
Every region links to its own weekly price page with full history:
| Region | States | $/gal this week | WoW |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | national average | $5.134 | ▲+$0.338 |
| PADD 1 — East Coast | 1A + 1B + 1C combined | $5.194 | ▲+$0.300 |
| PADD 1A — New England | CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT | $5.399 | ▲+$0.210 |
| PADD 1B — Central Atlantic | DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA | $5.370 | ▲+$0.166 |
| PADD 1C — Lower Atlantic | FL, GA, NC, SC, VA, WV | $5.107 | ▲+$0.359 |
| PADD 2 — Midwest | IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, OK, SD, TN, WI | $4.988 | ▲+$0.329 |
| PADD 3 — Gulf Coast | AL, AR, LA, MS, NM, TX | $4.942 | ▲+$0.396 |
| PADD 4 — Rocky Mountain | CO, ID, MT, UT, WY | $4.935 | ▲+$0.335 |
| PADD 5 — West Coast | AK, AZ, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA | $5.877 | ▲+$0.327 |
| California | the only state with its own weekly series | $6.471 | ▲+$0.345 |
| West Coast less California | PADD 5 excluding CA | $5.362 | ▲+$0.310 |
Why regions differ: state fuel taxes (largest single factor — California's are the country's highest), distance from Gulf Coast refining, and regional fuel specifications. The spread is visible every week in the national table.
FAQ
What does PADD stand for?
Petroleum Administration for Defense District. The five districts were drawn in World War II to ration and move fuel; EIA kept them because seven decades of petroleum statistics are organized around them.
What PADD is my state in?
PADD 1 is the East Coast, split into 1A (New England), 1B (Central Atlantic: DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA), and 1C (Lower Atlantic: FL through WV). PADD 2 is the Midwest — it stretches from Ohio to Oklahoma and includes Tennessee and Kentucky. PADD 3 is the Gulf Coast (TX, LA, NM, AR, MS, AL). PADD 4 is the Rockies (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY). PADD 5 is the West Coast plus AK, HI, AZ, and NV. The full state lists are in the table on this page.
Is there a weekly diesel price for my state?
Only if your state is California. EIA publishes weekly retail diesel for the U.S. average, the PADDs and their East Coast sub-districts, and California alone. For every other state, the closest official weekly number is the PADD average — sites advertising weekly prices for all 50 states are estimating.
Which region should my fuel surcharge use?
Whatever the contract says. The U.S. national average is the most common trigger; some regional fleets and dedicated lanes peg to a PADD instead, which tracks local pump prices more closely but is less liquid as a reference. The contract's named series governs either way.