Gas Prices by Year
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
Average U.S. retail price of regular unleaded gasoline, per gallon — the price at the pump then, and what that price equals in 2026 dollars.
The 2025 average price per gallon (latest full year in this table is updated as new annual data is published). The most expensive year so far, in today's dollars, was 2012 at $5.27 per gallon in 2026 terms; the highest nominal average was $4.09 in 2022.
Average gas price by year (nominal and inflation-adjusted)
| Year | Average price / gallon | In 2026 dollars | Change vs prior year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3.26 | $3.36 | -5.6% |
| 2024 | $3.45 | $3.65 | -5.7% |
| 2023 | $3.66 | $3.99 | -10.6% |
| 2022 | $4.09 | $4.65 | 34.2% |
| 2021 | $3.05 | $3.74 | 40.3% |
| 2020 | $2.17 | $2.79 | -17.5% |
| 2019 | $2.64 | $3.43 | -3.6% |
| 2018 | $2.74 | $3.62 | 13.6% |
| 2017 | $2.41 | $3.26 | 12.4% |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $2.96 | -12.5% |
| 2015 | $2.45 | $3.43 | -27.3% |
| 2014 | $3.37 | $4.73 | -4.5% |
| 2013 | $3.53 | $5.03 | -3.2% |
| 2012 | $3.64 | $5.27 | 3.3% |
| 2011 | $3.53 | $5.21 | 26.5% |
| 2010 | $2.79 | $4.25 | 18.6% |
| 2009 | $2.35 | $3.64 | -28.0% |
| 2008 | $3.27 | $5.04 | 16.6% |
| 2007 | $2.80 | $4.49 | 8.2% |
| 2006 | $2.59 | $4.27 | 12.8% |
| 2005 | $2.30 | $3.90 | 22.1% |
| 2004 | $1.88 | $3.31 | 18.2% |
| 2003 | $1.59 | $2.87 | 17.2% |
| 2002 | $1.36 | $2.51 | -7.1% |
| 2001 | $1.46 | $2.74 | -3.2% |
| 2000 | $1.51 | $2.91 | 29.6% |
| 1999 | $1.17 | $2.32 | 10.0% |
| 1998 | $1.06 | $2.16 | -14.1% |
| 1997 | $1.23 | $2.55 | 0.2% |
| 1996 | $1.23 | $2.61 | 7.3% |
| 1995 | $1.15 | $2.50 | 3.2% |
| 1994 | $1.11 | $2.49 | 0.4% |
| 1993 | $1.11 | $2.55 | -1.6% |
| 1992 | $1.13 | $2.67 | -1.2% |
| 1991 | $1.14 | $2.78 | -2.1% |
| 1990 | $1.16 | $2.96 | 13.9% |
| 1989 | $1.02 | $2.74 | 8.0% |
| 1988 | $0.95 | $2.66 | -0.2% |
| 1987 | $0.95 | $2.77 | 2.3% |
| 1986 | $0.93 | $2.81 | -22.8% |
| 1985 | $1.20 | $3.71 | -0.9% |
| 1984 | $1.21 | $3.88 | -2.3% |
| 1983 | $1.24 | $4.14 | -4.2% |
| 1982 | $1.30 | $4.46 | -6.0% |
| 1981 | $1.38 | $5.04 | 10.7% |
| 1980 | $1.25 | $5.02 | 37.9% |
| 1979 | $0.90 | $4.14 | 34.8% |
| 1978 | $0.67 | $3.41 | 2.1% |
| 1977 | $0.66 | $3.60 | 6.8% |
| 1976 | $0.61 | $3.59 | — |
About this data
Prices are the BLS average price series for regular unleaded gasoline (series APU000074714), monthly from January 1976; each year's figure is the average of its twelve monthly prices. Inflation adjustment uses annual-average CPI-U. Gasoline prices before the late 1970s came from different surveys with different coverage; rather than splice incompatible series into a fake-continuous line, this table starts where the consistent modern series starts. The cheapest year in the table is 1976 at $0.61 per gallon nominal.