Motor Gasoline Price Survey

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
Washington, DC 20585

OMB No. 1905-0174
Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX
Burden: 6.5 minutes

EIA-878
MOTOR GASOLINE PRICE SURVEY
INSTRUCTIONS
1. QUESTIONS?

4C. HOW TO REPORT FOR SCHEDULE A

If you have any questions about Form EIA-878 after reading
the instructions, please call our toll free number 1-877-2672879.

2. PURPOSE
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form EIA 878, Motor Gasoline Price Survey, is a mandatory survey
consisting of tw o parts: Schedules A and B. Schedule A is
designed to collect data on the cash, pump price (including
taxes) of self-serve, unleaded gasoline, by grade of gasoline.
Schedule B is designed to collect total annual sales volume for
each grade of gasoline sold at new ly sampled stations during
a full calendar year. Schedule B is not conducted each year,
and the data collected are strictly for internal statistical
purposes and are not published.
The data collected on Schedule A are used to calculate
average gasoline prices at the national, regional, and select
state and city levels across all grades and formulations. Thes e
data are point-in-time estimates as of 8:00 a.m. Monday .

3. WHO MUST REPORT
Response to the Form EIA-878 is mandatory pursuant to
Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974
(Public Law 93-275) for the scientifically selected sample of
companies selling gasoline at retail outlets. Companies
sampled are notified in w riting or by phone in advance.
Section 7 explains the possible sanctions for failing to report.

4. SCHEDULE A
4A. WHEN TO REPORT (Schedule A)
The data on Form EIA-878 are collected on Monday of each
w eek by telephone, except for Federal holidays, in w hich case,
the data are collected on the follow ing Tuesday.

4B. WHERE TO REPORT (Schedule A)
EIA personnel collect the data by telephone. Respondents are
required to provide the data w hen contacted. Companies
preferring to report by other electronic means should contact
the toll free number above in advance to make arrangements.

PART 1. IDENTIFICATION DATA
At the time of respondent initiation, the identification
information w ill be verified w ith the company. Should any of this
information change after initiation, report the change the next
data collection time. If the outlet is sold to another company ,
this change should also be reported.
Indicate the month, day, and year (e.g., November 8, 2021 is:
Month 11 Day 08 Year 21) of the price in the “Prices for” area.
Prices are as of Monday 8:00 a.m. local time.

PART 2. PRICE DATA
The reported prices should be the cash pump price for selfserve unleaded gasoline. If the station does not offer selfserve, then report the cash price for mini-serve (if available) or
full serve. If the station does not accept cash, then report the
credit card price.
If the station sells more than one type of the same grade of
gasoline, please list the octane rating and ethanol content.
Prices for motor gasoline containing more than 15% ethanol
are currently out of scope for this survey.

5. SCHEDULE B
5A. WHEN TO REPORT (Schedule B)
The data on Form EIA-878, Schedule B are collected on a onetime basis for new ly sampled outlets. This data must be
reported w ithin 10 days of receiving official notice of selection.

5B. WHERE TO REPORT (Schedule B)
Report data on the form provided to your station/company.

5C. HOW TO REPORT FOR SCHEDULE B
PART 1. IDENTIFICATION DATA
Please provide up-to-date station and contact information. The
preparer or contact person must be able to verify all the
information submitted and answ er any questions concerning
the information reported on EIA-878 Schedule B.

EIA-878, Motor Gasoline Price Survey

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PART 2. STATION STATUS
Provide your station’s current operating status. If your station
w as sold, please provide the contact information of the new
ow ner.
Report w hether there is a difference betw een and cash and
credit prices for motor gasoline at your station. Report the
number of vehicles that can pump motor gasoline at once at
your station.

PART 3. ANNUAL RETAIL MOTOR GASOLINE
SALES DATA
Select the octane rating and ethanol content for each grade of
gasoline sold at your station. Report annual sales volumes in
actual gallons for each grade of gasoline sold at your station.
Annual refers to the last full calendar or fiscal year. If the sales
volume is zero or blank for any grade, please select a reason.
If your sales volume do not represent a full calendar or fiscal
year, please enter the dates the sales volume represent.
Regular grade has an octane rating greater than or equal to 85
and less than 88. Midgrade gasoline has an octane rating
greater than or equal to 88 and less than 91. Premium gasoline
has an octane rating greater than or equal to 91. Note: Octane
requirements may vary by altitude.

PART 4. COMMENTS
Describe any unusual or substantially different aspects of your
station that affected data reporting. Provide any feedback that
could improve this form.

6.

PROVISIONS REGARDING
CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION

The information you provide on Form EIA-878 w ill be used for
statistical purposes only and is confidential by law . In
accordance w ith the Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018 and other applicable Federal
law s, your responses w ill not be disclosed in identifiable form
w ithout your consent. Per the Federal Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act of 2015, Federal information systems are
protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity
screening of transmitted data. Every EIA employee, as w ell as
every agent, is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both if he or she
makes public ANY identifiable information you reported.

8. REPORTING AND ESTIMATED REPORTING
BURDEN
Respondents are not required to file or reply to any Federal
collection of information unless it has a valid OMB control
number. Public reporting burden for this collection of w eekly
price information is estimated to average 6.5 minutes per
response, including the time of gathering and maintaining the
data needed, and reporting the information. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this
collection of information including suggestions for reducing this
burden to: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of
Statistical Methods & Research, EI-21, 1000 Independenc e
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585; and to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

9. STATE ABBREVIATIONS
AL
AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
DE
DC
FL
GA
HI
ID
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
ME
MD
MA
MI
MN
MS
MO

-

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaw are
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Haw aii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iow a
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri

MT
NE
NV
NH
NJ
NM
NY
NC
ND
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY

-

Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

7. SANCTIONS
The timely submission of Form EIA-878 by those required to
report is mandatory under 15 USC 772(b), as amended.
Failure to respond may result in a civil penalty of not more than
$10,949 per day for each violation. The government may bring
a civil action to prohibit reporting violations w hich may result in
a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent
injunction w ithout bond. In such civil action, the court may also
issue mandatory injunctions commanding any person to
comply w ith these reporting requirements.

EIA-878, Motor Gasoline Price Survey

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