Arkansas pump prices nearing $4-mark, diesel fuel nationally at $6.27 per gallon

By the Arkansas Delta Informer Staff

LITTLE ROCK – Sept. 15, 2026 – Gas prices in Arkansas are nearing $4 per gallon again, just as the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee meets in Washington, D.C., for a two-day session to consider raising interest rates to curb rising inflation and price increases across the U.S. economy.

In August, U.S. pump prices set a new record as the most expensive August, surpassing the previous record set in 2022.  For the first time ever, the national average in August has been above $4 per gallon every day.

Through the first half of September, prices are expected to continue rising with no end in sight, according to AAA. Through today (Sept.15), the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is up 18 cents since last week to $4.32 as crude oil prices continue climbing. Volatility in the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude oil back into the $ 100-per-barrel range for the first time since July.

According to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering more than 150,000 gas stations across the country, the national average for regular unleaded is up 19 cents from a month ago and $1.14 per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel rose 31.6 cents in the last week and stands at $6.183 per gallon.

“Average gasoline and diesel prices rose in every state over the last week as geopolitical tensions escalated on multiple fronts, with friction between the U.S. and Iran, new hostilities in the Red Sea, and the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline all combining to jolt prices sharply higher,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

Besides global volatility across international energy markets, De Haan warned that diesel prices could climb even faster in the wake of the new refinery attacks. “While most of the country transitions to cheaper winter-blend gasoline this week, the scale of ongoing geopolitical escalations makes meaningful price relief unlikely in the near term. Motorists should brace for continued volatility ahead,” he said.

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session on the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the nation’s premium crude grade, was up $3.96 cents to settle at $105,.35, nearly $9 above prices a week ago. In London, International Brent crude fell in this week’s session to $106.37, down $3.85 from the previous day.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 8.92 million barrels per day to 8.55 million. Total domestic gasoline supply increased from 205.7 million to 206.9 million barrels. Gasoline production decreased last week from 9.8 million barrels per day to 9.3 million barrels.

Despite nearly $4 a gallon for the first time since June, Arkansas remains the 10th least expensive gasoline market. Oklahoma is at $3.95 per gallon, ranked behind Indiana ($3.59), Texas ($3.85), Mississippi ($3.86), Louisiana ($3.89), Alabama ($3.91), and Tennessee ($3.92). Missouri ($3.96) and Kentucky ($3.99) average below $4 a gallon.

California by far has the nation’s most expensive pump prices, with that state’s reformulated retail gasoline rising one cent above the $6 per gallon mark. It is followed by Washington ($5.57), Hawaii ($5.44), Nevada ($5.12), Oregon ($5.11), Alaska ($5.06), Idaho ($4.82), Utah ($4.42), Arizona ($4.57), and Illinois ($4.53).

For electric car drivers, the national average cost of electricity at a public EV charging station remained at 42 cents per kilowatt-hour. The nation’s top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Hawaii (53 cents), West Virginia (52 cents), Alaska (49 cents), Louisiana (47 cents), California (47 cents), New Hampshire (47 cents), Illinois (45 cents), New Jersey (45 cents), Arkansas (45 cents), and North Dakota (44 cents). 

The nation’s 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt-hour are Kansas (31 cents), Missouri (33 cents), Iowa (33 cents), Nebraska (34 cents), Utah (34 cents), Maryland (34 cents), South Dakota (35 cents), Vermont (36 cents), Minnesota (37 cents), and Delaware (38 cents). 

Buc-ee’s driving down pump prices in Central Arkansas

In the Natural State, Central Arkansas drivers are seeing the lowest pump prices in the state as the new Buc-ee’s location in Saline County is causing competitors to lower their posted prices across the region, GasBuddy and AAA data shows.

Buc-ee’s opened its newest travel center in Benton with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local officials and dignitaries. Located at 1400 Highway 229, Buc-ee’s Benton spans 74,000 square feet, features 120 fueling stations and employs over 200 workers.

For the first time since that grand opening, another station in the state has eclipsed Buc-ee’s current prices for regular unleaded at $3.49 per gallon. In Hot Springs, the busy Phillips 66 at 3741 Malvern Road is four cents lower at $3.45 per gallon to fill up a tank.

In the state’s other urban areas, motorists in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers area are seeing the highest regional pump prices at 4.01 per gallon, two weeks after the busy Labor Day weekend. Fort Smith drivers are paying about $3.97 per gallon to fill up their tanks, 17 cents higher than last week.

At the Arkansas-Texas state line, motorists in Texarkana are paying an average of $3.96 per gallon, 19 cents higher than last week. In northeast Arkansas, the Jonesboro and West Memphis markets are seeing prices of $3.93 per gallon, up 17 and 12 cents, respectively, from last week.

In Central Arkansas, motorists in or passing through Hot Springs, Little Rock-North Little Rock, and Pine Bluff are seeing pump prices well below the state average. Hot Springs has the lowest prices of any MSA at $3.84 per gallon, while most billboard signs in Little Rock-North Little Rock and Pine Bluff show regular unleaded at an average of $3.90 per gallon.

Motorists seeking premium-grade gasoline are paying 86 cents more than the state average, at $4.81 per gallon, up two cents from last week. Truck drivers and other diesel vehicle operators are also emptying their pockets to fill up, at $5.94 per gallon, a whopping $2.59 per gallon higher than a year ago.

FOMC to raise interest rates twice before year’s end, says Bank of America economists

Meanwhile, rising inflation and volatility in the Middle East are pushing up energy prices worldwide, and Wall Street and Main Street are eyeing possible interest rate hikes at the FOMC meeting in the nation’s capital.

In a research note ahead of the Fed meeting, Bank of America economists are predicting that the FOMC, under new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, will raise interest rates and discuss future monetary policy following a 9-3 split in July.  Adita Bhave and Stephen Juneau, economists for Bank of America Securities, said international markets are pricing over 80 basis points of Fed hikes over the next 12 months.

“We don’t think the Fed can credibly stay on hold, barring a very soft Aug. inflation report,” the BofA economists wrote in a Sept. 11 research note. “The September (meeting) should show two hikes this year and one cut in 2027. Beyond this, we expect only modest tweaks.

“Assuming the Fed hikes, the key questions at the press conference will likely be about the future policy path and what has changed since July to justify a hike,” they said.