By Facts News Group Staff
Washington, D.C. · Data as of Nov. 2, 2026 (fuel) and September 2026 (consumer prices) · U.S. Energy Information Administration and Bureau of Labor Statistics
The average price of regular gasoline in the United States was $4.153 a gallon on Nov. 2, 2026, the day before the midterm elections, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That was $1.134 higher than a year earlier and 11.6 cents lower than the week before.
Status at a glance
- Fuel prices below are from the EIA's weekly survey released Nov. 3, 2026.
- Consumer price figures are from the BLS Consumer Price Index for September 2026, the latest month in the BLS data.
- Note: These federal data series do not assign causes to price changes. Facts News Group does not attribute the changes to any policy or event.
Fuel prices (EIA, week of Nov. 2, 2026)
- U.S. regular gasoline: $4.153 a gallon, up $1.134 from a year earlier (about 37.6%) and down $0.116 from the prior week (EIA).
- U.S. on-highway diesel: $6.292 a gallon, up $2.539 from a year earlier (about 67.7%) and down $0.060 from the prior week (EIA).
- Highest regional gasoline average: West Coast, $5.296. Lowest: Gulf Coast, $3.636 (EIA).
- State averages EIA reports: California $5.748, Florida $3.791, Texas $3.578, Ohio $4.090, New York $4.217 (EIA).
Year-ago percentages are calculated by Facts News Group from EIA's published price and year-over-year change.
Consumer prices (BLS CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted)
- All items: index 336.940 in September 2026 vs. 324.800 in September 2025, a 3.7% increase (BLS series CUUR0000SA0).
- Energy: 341.573 vs. 283.589, a 20.4% increase (BLS series CUUR0000SA0E).
- Gasoline (all types): 383.182 vs. 285.595, a 34.2% increase (BLS series CUUR0000SETB01).
- From February 2026 to September 2026, the energy index rose 23.2% (277.179 to 341.573) and the gasoline index rose 45.5% (263.378 to 383.182) (BLS; BLS).
Percent changes are calculated by Facts News Group from the published BLS index values. For reference, the BLS gasoline (all types) index was 277.021 in October 2025 (BLS series CUUR0000SETB01); October 2026 data has not yet been released.
What voters said
In the NBC News Exit Poll, 87% of voters said they were very or somewhat concerned about the cost of gas and diesel fuel, 88% about food and groceries and 86% about utilities. Sixty-two percent said the U.S. made the wrong decision in taking military action against Iran (NBC News Exit Poll).
In a Gallup survey of registered voters before the election, 42% rated gas prices as extremely important to their vote, and 47% said the same about the situation in Iran. The economy and healthcare ranked highest, at 50% each (Gallup).
Exit polls and surveys are estimates and carry a margin of error.
Still unknown
- October 2026 consumer price data, which the BLS has not yet released.
- How fuel prices will move after the election. EIA's next weekly update is scheduled for Nov. 10, 2026.
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, released Nov. 3, 2026 – eia.gov
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U all items, U.S. city average – bls.gov
- BLS, CPI-U energy – bls.gov
- BLS, CPI-U gasoline (all types) – bls.gov
- NBC News Exit Poll, Nov. 3, 2026 – nbcnews.com
- Gallup, midterm issues survey – news.gallup.com
Do you have a story idea? Send us your tip.
Facts News Group corrects errors openly. If you see something wrong, tell us here, and we'll note any correction on this story.
