Walmart Gas Prices in October 2026: Down 6.61% Nationwide as North Carolina Drops 65 Cents
After September's climb past $4, October gave most of it back. Across 1,547 Walmart Supercenter and Neighborhood Market fuel stations in 35 states, regular unleaded fell 26.0 cents, 91% of stations ended the month cheaper, and a new gas-tax holiday turned North Carolina into the cheapest state in the network. Diesel barely moved.
Oct 31 Regular Avg
$3.667
-$0.260 (-6.61%) vs Oct 1
North Carolina Change
-64.8¢
41¢ state gas tax suspended Oct 10
Diesel Month Change
-$0.086
-1.46% (Ended at $5.803)
Walmart vs. EIA Avg
-49.6¢
EIA National: $4.269 on Oct 26
September ended with Walmart pumps close to $4. October brought the seasonal decline that September had skipped. At the 1,547 fuel stations we track at Walmart Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets (Walmart-branded pumps plus co-located Murphy USA stations), the national regular unleaded average fell from $3.927 on October 1 to $3.667 on October 31, a drop of 26.0 cents (-6.61%).
The decline was not smooth. Two short spikes, an 8.0-cent jump on October 7 and a 6.3-cent jump on October 23, interrupted an otherwise steady slide. The biggest single story was North Carolina, which suspended its 41-cent gas tax on October 10. Walmart's North Carolina stations fell 64.8 cents over the month and ended at $3.250, the lowest state average in the network. Diesel, meanwhile, slipped only 8.6 cents to $5.803.
1. All Fuel Grades: October 1 vs. October 31
Every gasoline grade fell by about the same amount, 24.5 to 26 cents. Diesel fell about a third as much, so the gap between diesel and regular widened from $1.96 to $2.14 a gallon.
| Fuel Grade | Oct 1 | Oct 31 | Change ($) | Change (%) | Oct Avg | Oct High | Oct Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Unleaded | $3.927 | $3.667 | -$0.260 | -6.61% | $3.820 | $3.927 (10/01) | $3.667 (10/31) |
| Midgrade | $4.366 | $4.120 | -$0.247 | -5.65% | $4.264 | $4.368 (10/07) | $4.120 (10/31) |
| Premium | $4.717 | $4.473 | -$0.245 | -5.19% | $4.615 | $4.717 (10/07) | $4.473 (10/31) |
| Diesel | $5.889 | $5.803 | -$0.086 | -1.46% | $5.808 | $5.889 (10/01) | $5.743 (10/12) |
2. Why Prices Fell, and Why Not Further
Walmart pumps tracked the national market closely. Public benchmarks from AAA and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) show the same slow decline from record autumn highs:
- Winter blend finally showed up: AAA's national average fell from $4.41 on October 1 to $4.22 on October 29, a 19-cent drop, with AAA pointing to the switch to cheaper winter-blend gasoline. Walmart's network average fell 20.5 cents over the same dates, almost exactly in step.
- Crude kept a floor under prices: Even after the decline, AAA said pump prices were the highest ever recorded for October, the first October with the national average above $4. Crude oil hovered near and then above $100 a barrel late in the month, which AAA said limited further declines at the pump. That is also why diesel, which is more closely tied to crude and heating-oil demand, hardly fell.
- Walmart still undercut the market: In the EIA's October 26 weekly survey, the U.S. average for regular was $4.269. Walmart stations averaged $3.773 that day, 49.6 cents cheaper, or about $7.40 less on a 15-gallon fill-up. EIA's diesel average was $6.352, against $5.829 at Walmart, a gap of 52.3 cents.
3. A Slide Interrupted by Two Spikes
The national regular average fell on most days, but two one-day jumps reset it higher before the decline resumed:
An 8.0¢ Reset
Prices eased 8.0 cents to $3.846 by October 6, then jumped 8.0 cents in one day to $3.926 on Wednesday, October 7. Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia stations drove most of the increase.
The Long Slide
Prices fell on 13 of 15 days, by 17.7 cents in total, to $3.749 on October 22. North Carolina's tax holiday accounted for 1.2 cents of the 2.8-cent drop in the national average on October 11.
One More Spike, Then a New Low
A 6.3-cent jump on October 23, led by Florida and the Great Lakes states, lifted prices to $3.812. They then fell eight days in a row, including 4.8 cents on the last day, to close at $3.667, the low of the month.
Which Day of the Week Was Cheapest?
Tuesday was the cheapest day for the second month running, but the gap shrank: Tuesday averaged just 3.2 cents less than Thursday, compared with 16.6 cents in September. In a falling month, the day you fill up matters far less than whether a local price spike just hit.
4. Regional Breakdown: The Midwest Barely Moved
Every Census region ended the month lower, but the Midwest gave back almost nothing:
| Census Region | Stations | Oct 1 Avg | Oct 31 Avg | Net Change ($) | Net Change (%) | Oct Monthly Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West | 83 | $4.746 | $4.405 | -$0.341 | -7.18% | $4.624 |
| South | 1,223 | $3.843 | $3.545 | -$0.297 | -7.73% | $3.720 |
| Northeast | 9 | $4.243 | $4.079 | -$0.164 | -3.88% | $4.164 |
| Midwest | 232 | $4.063 | $4.028 | -$0.034 | -0.85% | $4.044 |
The South (1,223 stations, most of the network) fell 29.7 cents, helped by two state tax holidays. The Midwest fell only 3.4 cents because of the Great Lakes price cycle: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois stations swung up and down by 30 to 60 cents several times and finished slightly higher than they started. Michigan, for example, jumped 44.2 cents on October 10 and 56.4 cents on October 23.
5. State-by-State: Tax Holidays vs. Price Cycles
Five states finished October higher than they started, and every one of them is a price-cycling market. Colorado rose the most: Front Range stations jumped at least four times during the month, peaking at $4.320 on October 26 before falling back to $3.946. Ohio swung from a low of $3.517 on October 9 to a high of $4.417 on October 24, a 90-cent range inside one month.
| 1. North Carolina (66 stations) | -64.8¢ (-16.63%) |
| 2. Utah (23 stations) | -50.8¢ (-10.46%) |
| 3. Idaho (13 stations) | -45.9¢ (-9.46%) |
| 4. Texas (350 stations) | -32.5¢ (-8.52%) |
| 5. South Carolina (53 stations) | -31.5¢ (-8.24%) |
| 6. Florida (125 stations) | -33.2¢ (-8.20%) |
| 1. Colorado (9 stations) | +27.3¢ (+7.44%) |
| 2. Michigan (26 stations) | +6.3¢ (+1.45%) |
| 3. Illinois (45 stations) | +5.6¢ (+1.25%) |
| 4. Indiana (39 stations) | +3.9¢ (+1.08%) |
| 5. Ohio (42 stations) | +1.1¢ (+0.28%) |
| 6. Iowa (19 stations) | -6.3¢ (-1.59%) |
North Carolina's First Full Gas-Tax Suspension
Governor Josh Stein signed the Relief at the Pump Act on October 9, setting North Carolina's 41-cent-per-gallon motor fuel tax to zero from October 10 through November 30. It is the first time the state has suspended the entire tax, and the Attorney General launched N.C. Fuel Check to let drivers report stations that don't pass the savings on. Walmart's 66 North Carolina stations did: they fell 29.2 cents in one day, from $3.946 on October 10 to $3.654 on October 11, and kept falling to $3.250 by October 31. From the October 7 peak of $4.075, that is a drop of 82.5 cents, more than the tax itself, because the wider market was falling too. North Carolina diesel fell 46.4 cents after the suspension, to $5.346.
Georgia's Holiday Keeps Going
Georgia's suspension of its 33.3-cent gas tax (37.3 cents on diesel), which began on September 29, was extended twice and now runs through November 30. With the tax off for the whole month, Georgia's October average was $3.536, 33.0 cents below its September average, and its stations fell another 24.7 cents to $3.371. Georgia went from cheapest state in September to second place behind North Carolina.
Cheapest States on October 31Regular avg
- 1. North Carolina (66 stations)$3.250
- 2. Georgia (97 stations)$3.371
- 3. Texas (350 stations)$3.485
- 4. Louisiana$3.507
- 5. South Carolina$3.515
- 6. Tennessee$3.557
- 7. Alabama$3.573
- 8. Mississippi$3.607
Most Expensive States on October 31Regular avg
- 1. California (13 stations)$5.354
- 2. Washington$4.549
- 3. Illinois$4.512
- 4. Michigan$4.402
- 5. Idaho$4.394
- 6. Utah$4.349
- 7. Montana$4.259
- 8. New York$4.164
6. Station-Level Records
Of the 1,547 stations with readings at both ends of the month, 1,411 (91.2%) fell, 128 rose, and 8 were unchanged. The median station fell 26 cents. The number of stations selling regular under $3.50 jumped from 27 on October 1 to 564 on October 31, while stations at $4 or more halved from 347 to 174. On October 31, the cheapest and most expensive Walmart stations were $2.72 per gallon apart.
Cheapest Stations, Oct 31
- 1. Goldsboro, NC (#7340)$3.039
- 2. Erwin, NC (#1237)$3.049
- 3. Wilmington, NC (#1348)$3.059
- 4. Fayetteville, NC (#1261)$3.069
- 5. Wilson, NC (#1664)$3.069
- 6. Hope Mills, NC (#2929)$3.069
Priciest Stations, Oct 31
- 1. Kerman, CA (#5701)$5.759
- 2. Wasco, CA (#5859)$5.659
- 3. Barstow, CA (#1879)$5.559
- 4. Perris, CA (#1747)$5.499
- 5. Hesperia, CA (#4340)$5.489
- 6. Sacramento, CA (#3081)$5.489
Biggest Individual Moves
- Biggest drops: Layton, UT (#1699) fell 96 cents ($4.859 to $3.899), and Twin Falls, ID (#3897) fell 86 cents ($4.999 to $4.139). The rest of the top list is North Carolina: Lexington (#1322) fell 85 cents, and Fayetteville (#1261) and Grantsboro (#7238) each fell 83 cents. All eight of the network's cheapest stations on October 31 were in North Carolina; the cheapest outside the state were four Columbus, GA stations at $3.159.
- Biggest increases: Mostly Colorado. Colorado Springs (#5123) rose 44 cents ($3.499 to $3.939), Pueblo (#5828) 40 cents, and Broomfield (#4288) 39 cents. Outside Colorado, Johnsburg, IL (#1377) rose 41 cents and Niles, MI (#2010) 34 cents, both caught at the top of a price cycle.
7. Operator Comparison: Murphy USA vs. Walmart-Branded Pumps
Murphy USA at Walmart
$3.655 Oct 31 avg
-$0.245 (-6.28%) month change
October Monthly Average: $3.797 • Diesel Oct 31: $5.798
Walmart-Branded Pumps
$3.697 Oct 31 avg
-$0.295 (-7.40%) month change
October Monthly Average: $3.876 • Diesel Oct 31: $5.815
Walmart-branded pumps cut prices 5 cents more than Murphy USA, so the gap between them narrowed from about 10.6 cents at the end of September to 4.2 cents on October 31. Murphy USA is still the cheaper of the two on both regular and diesel. The 260 Neighborhood Market stations averaged $3.506 on October 31, 19.3 cents below Supercenters ($3.699).
8. Consumer Playbook: Saving in November
North Carolina and Georgia: Fill Up Before November 30
Both tax holidays end on November 30 unless extended again. At month-end, Walmart's North Carolina stations averaged 26.5 cents less than South Carolina's ($3.250 vs. $3.515) and 52.2 cents less than Virginia's ($3.772), so drivers near those state lines save by filling up in North Carolina. Expect prices in both states to jump by roughly the tax amount when the holidays end.
Great Lakes and Colorado: Buy After a Spike, Not Before
In Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Colorado, prices jump 30 to 60 cents overnight and then drift down for a week or more. If your local Walmart just jumped, top off only what you need and fill up a few days later. If prices have been sliding for a week, fill up now.
Stack the Walmart+ Discount
The 10-cent Walmart+ fuel discount is worth about $1.50 on a 15-gallon fill-up, on top of the roughly 50-cent gap to the national average. Diesel drivers save even more: Walmart diesel ran 52 cents below the EIA average.
Methodology: Daily station-level prices from the martgasprice.com price feed for 1,547 Walmart Supercenter and Neighborhood Market fuel stations (Walmart-branded and co-located Murphy USA) in 35 states. National and state figures are simple averages of all stations reporting that day. Readings were collected on all 31 days of October. Placeholder prices ($9.959 and $9.999) were excluded. September comparisons use the same method and leave out the days the feed missed in September. External benchmarks are from AAA's weekly gas price reports and the EIA's Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (October 26, 2026); tax holiday details are from state announcements and local news coverage.
Track fuel prices at your local Walmart station
Live prices updated daily for over 1,500 locations nationwide.