Who Led Estimated Unleaded Margins in January 2026?

Margin Masters highlights retail leaders in average unleaded gasoline estimated rack-to-retail margins for the current month, in this case between January 1st and 25th, using margin calculations from OPIS MarginPro. This data reflects gross estimated margins and does not utilize actual costs. Results can also vary significantly by region and market. It is important to keep in mind that margin is only one piece of brand performance, as volumes and market share remain critical to understanding the full picture of brand performance.

Across the country, January 2026 leaders were often smaller brands (generally 20 to 70 sites), though ExtraMile stood out nationally as an exception, ranking second with an average margin of $0.806 per gallon. Regional results reinforced how different local dynamics can be: Pac Pride led the Great Lakes at $0.725, while the Midwest featured larger operators near the top, including Speedway at 67 cents per gallon. One notable brand was Crosby’s in the Northeast, pairing an almost $0.67 2026 margin with a gain of just over 26 cents year over year.

Meanwhile, the Southeast saw United Dairy Farmers take the margin lead, which is surprising considering their general footprint is in the Great Lakes region. Twice Daily Convenience, a more traditional Southeastern retailer with around 70 sites in the analysis, was second at $0.535. The Southwest, on the other hand, saw a set of smaller retailers (Superpumper, Quarles, Minute Mart, and Uncles) range from $0.594 to $0.745 dollars per gallon. The West’s top spots were led by Minit Stop and Aloha with other leading margins hovering around 90 cents per gallon.

See the Margin Masters by region.

Reporting by Ben Kaufmann, bkaufmann@opisnet.com