U.S. oil production fell 167,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) to 8.58 MMbbl/d in September from August, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Nov. 30 in a monthly report.

Production declined by 139,000 bbl/d in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, and rose slightly in Texas, increasing by 6,000 bbl/d. Production in North Dakota slipped by 12,000 bbl/d, the EIA said.

Meanwhile, the EIA said that U.S. total oil demand rose in September for the second consecutive month on a year-over-year basis as strong gasoline consumption offset weak distillate sales.

U.S. oil demand in September rose by 2.3%, or 446,000 bbl/d, from a year ago to 19.86 MMbbl/d, according to the EIA's petroleum supply monthly report.

The demand growth was led once again by gasoline, which rose by 2.2%, or 203,000 bbl/d, from a year ago to 9.49 MMbbl/d in September, the data showed.

Gasoline demand surged over the summer, including record numbers in June. Despite steady demand, U.S. refiners are still battling weak margins due to stubbornly high gasoline inventories built up during the boon years of 2014 and 2015.

The gasoline demand overcame a drop in demand for distillates, which fell in June by 3.32%, or 131,000 bbl/d, to 3.905 MMbbl/d compared with last year, EIA data showed.