Economic Warfare & Trade Policy Energy & commodities
U.S. refineries have moved production away from gasoline and toward diesel and jet fuel this year, with gasoline yields averaging less than 45% from January through August, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Thursday, Nov. 5. Those yields were well below the five-year low in every month.
Related: our Nov. 6 Geopolitics & Business Report.
What is driving the change
A refinery yield is the share of a fuel made from each barrel of crude. U.S. refiners typically get 45% to 50% gasoline, the EIA said. This year they have pushed as much output as possible into distillate fuel oil, often sold as diesel, and jet fuel, where margins are significantly higher because global supplies are constrained. The shift has come despite high gasoline prices, the agency said.
Diesel and jet fuel
Distillate yields have generally been higher than last year and above the five-year average in every month, according to the EIA. The fleet exceeded an average jet fuel yield of 12% for the first time in March 2026 and has stayed at or above that level through August, the latest data available.
More coverage is in Business & Finance.
Sources
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