Heating fuel in surveyed Alaska communities rose nearly 23% since winter, state finds

Heating fuel in the Alaska communities the state surveys averaged $7.97 a gallon this summer, up 22.8 percent from $6.49 last winter, according to figures the state Division of Community and Regional Affairs released Friday. Gasoline rose 13.8 percent, to $7.56 from $6.64.

The division surveys 100 communities twice a year. The prices come from point-in-time reports by local vendors, community contacts and major retailers in July and August, published in the Alaska Fuel Price Report: Summer 2026.

Western Alaska communities paid the most: gasoline averaged $8.70 a gallon and heating fuel averaged $9.

Some western communities received fuel deliveries late, so vendors were still selling last year's inventory at old prices, according to the division. Other city or Tribal-owned vendors were waiting on council resolutions to set new rates, the division said. The Alaska Municipal League says shipping costs and Bering Strait ice can delay seasonal marine deliveries by weeks.

The division said the full effects in western Alaska may not show up in its figures until later this year.