Rack market
Council Bluffs, IA
#104 of 422 U.S. rack markets by terminals
OPIS rack city 319
Gasoline & diesel
Biodiesel
Ethanol
- terminals
- 3
- pipeline systems delivering
- 3
- refineries confirmed
- 0
- more per research or by route
- 7
- people in the trade area
- 615,654
- gal/day gasoline · estimated demand
- 764,574
- gal/day diesel · estimated demand
- 347,286
Terminals in this market
| Terminal | TCN | Location | Delivered by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Terminals, LLC - Council Bluffs | T-42-IA-3455 | Council Bluffs, IA | Buckeye Pipeline |
| Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | T-39-NE-3612 | Bellevue, NE | Magellan Midstream |
| National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) | T-42-IA-3454 | Council Bluffs, IA | Heartland Pipeline |
Pipelines delivering to this market
Each system with a tariff delivery point at one of this market’s terminals, and how many running refineries can ship on it to here.
| Pipeline system | Terminals here | Delivery points | Refineries confirmed | All reachable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Pipeline | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Heartland Pipeline | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Magellan Midstream | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
Refineries that can supply this market
| Refinery | Location | Via | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHS McPherson Refinery | Mcpherson, KS | Heartland Pipeline, Magellan Midstream, NuStar Pipeline | per research |
| Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend Refinery | Saint Paul, MN | Magellan Midstream | per research |
| Phillips 66 Ponca City Refinery | Ponca City, OK | Magellan Midstream, NuStar Pipeline, Phillips 66 Pipeline | per research |
| Valero Ardmore Refinery | Ardmore, OK | Magellan Midstream | per research |
| Borger Refinery (WRB Refining / Phillips 66) | Borger, TX | Phillips 66 Pipeline | inferred (same city) |
| CVR Wynnewood Refinery | Wynnewood, OK | Magellan Midstream | inferred (same city) |
| HF Sinclair El Dorado Refinery | El Dorado, KS | Magellan Midstream, NuStar Pipeline | inferred (same city) |
Trade area
- people in the trade area · 2025 estimate
- 615,654
- rank of 422 rack markets by people
- #178
- gallons of gasoline a day · estimate, 2025
- 764,574
- gallons of diesel a day · estimate, 2025
- 347,286
- counties wholly in this market
- 0
- counties shared with other markets
- 27
| County | State | Share here | People counted here | Gasoline gal/day | Diesel gal/day | County population | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | NE | 47% | 285,339 | 296,702 | 68,810 | 606,460 | 17 |
| Sarpy County | NE | 68% | 141,313 | 133,168 | 52,170 | 208,303 | 13 |
| Pottawattamie County | IA | 64% | 59,164 | 102,664 | 67,648 | 92,996 | 20 |
| Cass County | NE | 50% | 13,773 | 24,924 | 26,848 | 27,657 | 24 |
| Mills County | IA | 77% | 11,441 | 24,600 | 17,190 | 14,793 | 16 |
| Washington County | NE | 51% | 10,832 | 11,877 | 6,292 | 21,302 | 31 |
| Dodge County | NE | 28% | 10,728 | 13,584 | 5,374 | 38,057 | 49 |
| Page County | IA | 58% | 8,575 | 9,743 | 3,485 | 14,856 | 49 |
| Harrison County | IA | 54% | 7,883 | 19,174 | 15,709 | 14,623 | 35 |
| Shelby County | IA | 60% | 7,066 | 9,283 | 3,979 | 11,689 | 45 |
| Montgomery County | IA | 69% | 6,888 | 8,838 | 3,457 | 10,002 | 38 |
| Cass County | IA | 50% | 6,416 | 20,159 | 17,135 | 12,960 | 50 |
| Saunders County | NE | 25% | 6,023 | 7,492 | 4,092 | 23,702 | 41 |
| Crawford County | IA | 36% | 5,883 | 8,266 | 3,326 | 16,237 | 64 |
| Carroll County | IA | 27% | 5,441 | 7,104 | 2,447 | 20,303 | 79 |
| Otoe County | NE | 32% | 5,242 | 9,631 | 5,566 | 16,531 | 40 |
| Fremont County | IA | 58% | 3,780 | 13,935 | 12,285 | 6,522 | 33 |
| Monona County | IA | 28% | 2,352 | 7,525 | 6,761 | 8,539 | 60 |
| Nemaha County | NE | 33% | 2,339 | 3,169 | 1,902 | 7,102 | 55 |
| Adair County | IA | 31% | 2,296 | 10,140 | 9,846 | 7,403 | 73 |
| Burt County | NE | 33% | 2,216 | 3,035 | 1,994 | 6,678 | 52 |
| Richardson County | NE | 29% | 2,150 | 2,809 | 1,770 | 7,530 | 74 |
| Taylor County | IA | 36% | 2,119 | 2,249 | 995 | 5,835 | 68 |
| Audubon County | IA | 37% | 2,012 | 2,802 | 1,214 | 5,509 | 60 |
| Atchison County | MO | 37% | 1,889 | 7,542 | 5,012 | 5,175 | 56 |
| Adams County | IA | 39% | 1,395 | 2,544 | 1,213 | 3,617 | 62 |
| Ringgold County | IA | 24% | 1,129 | 1,649 | 773 | 4,642 | 90 |
Fuel demand is an estimate: each state’s taxed gallons for the year (FHWA) are split among its counties by where the driving happens (EPA county vehicle miles, weighted by how much fuel each vehicle type burns), then shared to markets as above. Every state adds back to its FHWA total. Gasoline includes the ethanol blended into it; diesel is FHWA’s special fuels. Expect diesel to be least reliable along long-haul corridors, where trucks buy fuel in one county and burn it in another. Population: U.S. Census Bureau county estimates.
How good is it? Checked in October 2026 against the county retail sales Iowa and California publish: for gasoline, about 3–5% of gallons landed in the wrong rack market and a typical market was within 5–6%. For diesel, 14–21% landed in the wrong market and a typical market was 30–45% off, with truck-stop corridors such as Bakersfield and Stockton under-counted. Treat gasoline as a working estimate and diesel as a rough guide.
Cost to serve this market by pipeline
What it costs to move a gallon here from each pipeline origin at filed tariff rates: line-haul, the cost of financing the product on the way and in the tank, pipeline loss, and terminaling. It is a cost at filed rates, not a market price: add it to the origin spot price for a delivered cost. Lines marked "estimate" are placeholders until the pipeline or terminal figure is on file; in the routes table, * marks a figure taken from the tariff.
Gasoline: product adder
- ¢/gal · lowest adder
- 8.02
- ¢/gal · line-haul tariff · published
- 5.66
- ¢/gal · carrying cost · calculated
- 0.53
- ¢/gal · pipeline loss · estimate
- 0.33
- ¢/gal · terminaling · estimate
- 1.50
- days financed
- 10.1
Lowest route: from McPherson, Kansas on Heartland Pipeline to Council Bluffs, Iowa (F.E.R.C. No. 33.21.0).
How the lowest adder is worked, line by line
| Line | ¢/gal | Basis | Source or working |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line-haul tariff | 5.658 | published | Heartland Pipeline F.E.R.C. No. 33.21.0: McPherson, Kansas → Council Bluffs, Iowa, 237.62 ¢/bbl |
| Carrying cost | 0.535 | calculated | $3.260000/gal × 5.9000% ÷ 365 × 10.144 days (2.644 in transit, 2.50 waiting on the cycle, 5.00 in terminal inventory); transit estimated: 254 pipeline miles at 4.0 mph (general estimate) |
| Pipeline loss | 0.326 | estimate | flat estimate $0.0033/gal, applied 1 time |
| Terminaling | 1.500 | estimate | Flat estimate: no fee on file for this terminal |
| Product adder | 8.018 | Sum of the lines above, over the origin spot price |
Every published route, lowest adder first (10 of 10). Origins are priced at the same index here. "Origin must be cheaper by" is how far below the lowest route's origin a route's own origin price has to be before that route wins.
| Origin | Pipeline | Delivery point | Terminals | Line-haul | Carrying | Loss | Terminaling | Adder ¢/gal | Days | Origin must be cheaper by | Tariff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McPherson, Kansas | Heartland Pipeline | Council Bluffs, Iowa | National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) | 5.66 | 0.53 | 0.33 | 1.50 | 8.02 | 10.1 | — | F.E.R.C. No. 33.21.0 |
| Ponca City, Oklahoma | Heartland Pipeline joint rate | Council Bluffs, Iowa | National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) | 5.71 | 0.60 | 0.65 | 1.50 | 8.46 | 11.3 | 0.45 | F.E.R.C. No. 34.19.0 |
| Borger, Texas | Heartland Pipeline joint rate | Council Bluffs, Iowa | National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) | 6.97 | 0.70 | 0.65 | 1.50 | 9.83 | 13.3 | 1.81 | F.E.R.C. No. 35.19.0 |
| Minneapolis (Pine Bend/St Paul Park/Roseville/Rosemount) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 9.33 | 0.57 | 0.16* | 1.50 | 11.57 | 10.9 | 3.55 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 205 |
| Kansas (Coffeyville/El Dorado/Kansas City Jct.) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 9.44 | 0.55 | 0.16* | 1.50 | 11.65 | 10.4 | 3.63 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 201 |
| Oklahoma Central (Ponca City) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 9.44 | 0.60 | 0.16* | 1.50 | 11.70 | 11.4 | 3.68 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 200 |
| McPherson, KS | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 10.04 | 0.54 | 0.16* | 1.50 | 12.24 | 10.2 | 4.22 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 255 |
| Wynnewood, OK | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 11.96 | 0.69 | 0.16* | 1.50 | 14.31 | 13.1 | 6.30 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 204 |
| Wynnewood, OK / Ardmore, OK (Valero Partners Wynnewood) | Magellan Midstream joint rate | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 12.68 | 0.69 | 0.65 | 1.50 | 15.52 | 13.1 | 7.50 | FERC No. 197.9.0 item 200 |
| Wichita - Kansas City Interconnect (Phillips 66 Carrier) | Magellan Midstream joint rate | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 12.74 | 0.56 | 0.98* | 1.50 | 15.78 | 10.6 | 7.76 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 240 |
Diesel: product adder
- ¢/gal · lowest adder
- 8.48
- ¢/gal · line-haul tariff · published
- 5.66
- ¢/gal · carrying cost · calculated
- 0.82
- ¢/gal · pipeline loss · estimate
- 0.50
- ¢/gal · terminaling · estimate
- 1.50
- days financed
- 10.1
Lowest route: from McPherson, Kansas on Heartland Pipeline to Council Bluffs, Iowa (F.E.R.C. No. 33.21.0).
How the lowest adder is worked, line by line
| Line | ¢/gal | Basis | Source or working |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line-haul tariff | 5.658 | published | Heartland Pipeline F.E.R.C. No. 33.21.0: McPherson, Kansas → Council Bluffs, Iowa, 237.62 ¢/bbl |
| Carrying cost | 0.820 | calculated | $5.000000/gal × 5.9000% ÷ 365 × 10.144 days (2.644 in transit, 2.50 waiting on the cycle, 5.00 in terminal inventory); transit estimated: 254 pipeline miles at 4.0 mph (general estimate) |
| Pipeline loss | 0.500 | estimate | flat estimate $0.0050/gal, applied 1 time |
| Terminaling | 1.500 | estimate | Flat estimate: no fee on file for this terminal |
| Product adder | 8.478 | Sum of the lines above, over the origin spot price |
Every published route, lowest adder first (10 of 10). Origins are priced at the same index here. "Origin must be cheaper by" is how far below the lowest route's origin a route's own origin price has to be before that route wins.
| Origin | Pipeline | Delivery point | Terminals | Line-haul | Carrying | Loss | Terminaling | Adder ¢/gal | Days | Origin must be cheaper by | Tariff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McPherson, Kansas | Heartland Pipeline | Council Bluffs, Iowa | National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) | 5.66 | 0.82 | 0.50 | 1.50 | 8.48 | 10.1 | — | F.E.R.C. No. 33.21.0 |
| Ponca City, Oklahoma | Heartland Pipeline joint rate | Council Bluffs, Iowa | National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) | 5.71 | 0.92 | 1.00 | 1.50 | 9.13 | 11.3 | 0.65 | F.E.R.C. No. 34.19.0 |
| Borger, Texas | Heartland Pipeline joint rate | Council Bluffs, Iowa | National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) | 6.97 | 1.07 | 1.00 | 1.50 | 10.55 | 13.3 | 2.07 | F.E.R.C. No. 35.19.0 |
| Minneapolis (Pine Bend/St Paul Park/Roseville/Rosemount) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 9.33 | 0.88 | 0.25* | 1.50 | 11.96 | 10.9 | 3.48 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 205 |
| Kansas (Coffeyville/El Dorado/Kansas City Jct.) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 9.44 | 0.84 | 0.25* | 1.50 | 12.03 | 10.4 | 3.55 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 201 |
| Oklahoma Central (Ponca City) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 9.44 | 0.92 | 0.25* | 1.50 | 12.11 | 11.4 | 3.63 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 200 |
| McPherson, KS | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 10.04 | 0.82 | 0.25* | 1.50 | 12.62 | 10.2 | 4.14 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 255 |
| Wynnewood, OK | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 11.96 | 1.06 | 0.25* | 1.50 | 14.77 | 13.1 | 6.29 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 204 |
| Wynnewood, OK / Ardmore, OK (Valero Partners Wynnewood) | Magellan Midstream joint rate | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 12.68 | 1.06 | 1.00 | 1.50 | 16.23 | 13.1 | 7.75 | FERC No. 197.9.0 item 200 |
| Wichita - Kansas City Interconnect (Phillips 66 Carrier) | Magellan Midstream joint rate | Omaha (Eppley), NE | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | 12.74 | 0.85 | 1.50* | 1.50 | 16.59 | 10.6 | 8.12 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 240 |
Inputs and assumptions behind these figures
- Product value (for carrying cost and loss only): the prior day's spot price. Gasoline: OilPriceAPI GASOLINE_RBOB_USD, 2026-10-07. Diesel: OilPriceAPI ULSD_DIESEL_USD, 2026-10-07. These are the New York Harbor futures benchmarks, not a Gulf Coast price.
- Interest rate: SOFR 3.90% (2026-10-06) + 2.0 points.
- Transit (estimate): straight-line miles between the tariff origin and delivery point × 1.15, at 4.0 mph unless the pipeline has its own figure.
- Days financed (estimate): transit, plus half a 5-day shipping cycle waiting to lift, plus 5 days of stock at the terminal.
- Pipeline loss: the charge or volume deduction the tariff states, where it states one (marked *; a deduction is costed at the product value above). Otherwise an estimate of 0.10% of product value per pipeline, two for a joint rate; that includes pipelines that share out actual losses without publishing a figure.
- Terminaling: the carrier's terminal charge where its tariff states one (marked *), otherwise a flat 1.5¢/gal estimate.
- Rates used: each pipeline's ordinary filed rate. Committed, volume-tier, discount and bid rates are left out, as are conditional fees (shown on each pipeline page), additives, taxes and the value of line space.
- Assumption set in force from 2026-10-01; review by 2027-01-01.
Published line-haul rates, all products and rate types
- ¢/gal · cheapest gasoline · from McPherson, Kansas on Heartland Pipeline
- 4.79
- ¢/gal · cheapest diesel · from McPherson, Kansas on Heartland Pipeline
- 4.79
- ¢/gal · cheapest jet fuel · from Wynnewood, OK / Ardmore, OK on Magellan Midstream
- 12.68
| Origin | Pipeline | Delivery point | Product | ¢/bbl | ¢/gal | Refineries at the origin | Tariff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McPherson, Kansas | Heartland Pipeline | Council Bluffs, Iowa | gasoline, distillate | 201.16 | 4.79 | CHS McPherson Refinery | F.E.R.C. No. 33.21.0 |
| McPherson, Kansas | Heartland Pipeline | Council Bluffs, Iowa | gasoline, distillate | 237.62 | 5.66 | CHS McPherson Refinery | F.E.R.C. No. 33.21.0 |
| Ponca City, Oklahoma | Heartland Pipeline | Council Bluffs, Iowa | gasoline, distillate | 239.99 | 5.71 | F.E.R.C. No. 34.19.0 | |
| Borger, Texas | Heartland Pipeline | Council Bluffs, Iowa | gasoline, distillate | 292.89 | 6.97 | F.E.R.C. No. 35.19.0 | |
| Minneapolis (Pine Bend/St Paul Park/Roseville/Rosemount) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE per research | gasoline, distillate | 391.85 | 9.33 | Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend Refinery | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 205 |
| Oklahoma Central (Ponca City) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE per research | gasoline, distillate | 396.39 | 9.44 | Phillips 66 Ponca City Refinery | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 200 |
| Kansas (Coffeyville/El Dorado/Kansas City Jct.) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE per research | gasoline, distillate | 396.39 | 9.44 | HF Sinclair El Dorado Refinery | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 201 |
| McPherson, KS | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE per research | gasoline, distillate | 421.81 | 10.04 | CHS McPherson Refinery | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 255 |
| Wynnewood, OK | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE per research | gasoline, distillate | 502.48 | 11.96 | CVR Wynnewood Refinery | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 204 |
| Wynnewood, OK / Ardmore, OK (Valero Partners Wynnewood) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE per research | gasoline, distillate, jet fuel | 532.42 | 12.68 | Valero Ardmore Refinery; CVR Wynnewood Refinery | FERC No. 197.9.0 item 200 |
| Wichita - Kansas City Interconnect (Phillips 66 Carrier) | Magellan Midstream | Omaha (Eppley), NE per research | gasoline, distillate | 535.10 | 12.74 | FERC No. 160.59.0 item 240 |
Supply resilience
- pipeline supply
- Diversified
- pipeline systems delivering
- 3
- terminals on two or more pipelines
- 0
- terminals with no pipeline tariff
- 0
3 pipeline systems deliver here.
If a pipeline system goes down
| Pipeline system | Terminals it reaches here | With no other pipeline | Which |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Pipeline | 1 | 1 | Buckeye Terminals, LLC - Council Bluffs |
| Heartland Pipeline | 1 | 1 | National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) |
| Magellan Midstream | 1 | 1 | Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart |
Counts pipeline systems with a tariff delivery point here, not capacity, storage or contracts. A system with two lines into the market still counts once, and a terminal with one pipeline may also receive by truck, rail or water. For a refinery or pipeline outage across every market it touches, open that facility’s page.
Delivered ethanol cost
- ¢/gal over Chicago ethanol · lowest in the market
- -10.10
- ¢/gal over Chicago ethanol · highest
- -10.10
An estimate for each terminal: the cheapest of published rail rates and trucking from the nearest plants, plus basis, transload, terminaling and carrying cost. Each terminal page shows the build-up line by line.
| Terminal | ¢/gal over Chicago | By | From | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Terminals, LLC - Council Bluffs | -10.10 | truck | Southwest Iowa Renewable (Council Bluffs, IA) | 5 |
| Magellan Pipeline Company, LP - Capehart | -10.10 | truck | Southwest Iowa Renewable (Council Bluffs, IA) | 8 |
| National Cooperative Refinery Association (Ncra) | -10.10 | truck | Southwest Iowa Renewable (Council Bluffs, IA) | 5 |
Nearby rack markets
Rack markets within 75 miles (straight line): where a buyer here could also lift.
| Rack market | Miles | Terminals | Pipelines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Lincoln, NE | 53 | 3 | 2 |
| Denison, IA | 64 | 0 | — |
| Columbus, NE | 74 | 1 | 1 |
Rates are pipeline line-haul transcribed from published FERC tariffs; every figure cites its tariff and item. Cost to serve (netback) adds origin spot price and destination fees. "Confirmed" links match a tariff delivery point to the facility; "same city" means the point is in the facility's city — plausible, not proof; "per research" means the facility's research profile names the pipeline as an outlet.