Dec 28 (Reuters) - Crude inventories fell by 6.9 million barrels in the last week to 436.6 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 2.7 million-barrel drop, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Thursday.
Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub rose by 1.5 million barrels in the week to Dec 22, EIA said.
Refinery crude runs rose by 58,000 barrels per day in the last week, EIA said.
Refinery utilization rates rose by 0.9 percentage points in the week.
U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 575,000 thousand barrels in the week to 226.1 million barrels, the EIA said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 208,000 thousand-barrel rise.
Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 833,000 thousand barrels in the week to 115.8 million barrels, versus expectations for a 600,000 thousand-barrel rise, the EIA data showed.
Net U.S. crude imports fell last week by 268,000 barrels per day, EIA said. (Reporting by Liz Hampton in Denver)
