US gas price history
Every weekly national average the EIA has published since 1990-08-20 — 1,875 observations. Charted twice: in the dollars people actually paid, and restated in 2026 money, because most of the rise since 1990 is the dollar rather than the fuel.
The same prices in 2026 money
Gas cost about $1.19 a gallon in 1990 and $4.07 now, which looks like a rise of +241.8%. Most of that is the dollar. The adjusted line below restates every week in today’s money, and on that basis the record week is 2008-07-07, not 2022-06-13.
Adjusted using CPI-U annual averages (US city average, 1982-84 = 100, BLS series CUUR0000SA0). Figures from 2025 onward use a provisional deflator — 2026 cannot have a final annual average until the year ends — so treat the most recent adjusted points as indicative rather than settled.
Where today sits
98% of the weeks since 1990 were cheaper than today in nominal terms, and 2% were dearer.
The average price every year since 1990
| Year | Average | In 2026 money | Cheapest week | Dearest week | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $3.76 | $3.76prov. | $2.78 | $4.50 | 35 |
| 2025 | $3.10 | $3.18prov. | $2.81 | $3.24 | 52 |
| 2024 | $3.30 | $3.48 | $3.01 | $3.67 | 53 |
| 2023 | $3.52 | $3.82 | $3.05 | $3.88 | 52 |
| 2022 | $3.95 | $4.46 | $3.09 | $5.01 | 52 |
| 2021 | $3.01 | $3.67 | $2.25 | $3.41 | 52 |
| 2020 | $2.17 | $2.77 | $1.77 | $2.58 | 52 |
| 2019 | $2.60 | $3.37 | $2.24 | $2.90 | 52 |
| 2018 | $2.72 | $3.58 | $2.27 | $2.96 | 53 |
| 2017 | $2.41 | $3.25 | $2.26 | $2.69 | 52 |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $2.95 | $1.72 | $2.40 | 52 |
| 2015 | $2.43 | $3.39 | $2.03 | $2.84 | 52 |
| 2014 | $3.36 | $4.69 | $2.30 | $3.71 | 52 |
| 2013 | $3.50 | $4.97 | $3.19 | $3.78 | 52 |
| 2012 | $3.62 | $5.21 | $3.25 | $3.94 | 53 |
| 2011 | $3.52 | $5.17 | $3.07 | $3.97 | 52 |
| 2010 | $2.78 | $4.21 | $2.61 | $3.05 | 52 |
| 2009 | $2.35 | $3.62 | $1.68 | $2.69 | 52 |
| 2008 | $3.25 | $4.98 | $1.61 | $4.11 | 52 |
| 2007 | $2.80 | $4.46 | $2.17 | $3.22 | 53 |
| 2006 | $2.57 | $4.22 | $2.20 | $3.04 | 52 |
| 2005 | $2.27 | $3.84 | $1.78 | $3.07 | 52 |
| 2004 | $1.85 | $3.24 | $1.51 | $2.06 | 52 |
| 2003 | $1.56 | $2.80 | $1.44 | $1.75 | 52 |
| 2002 | $1.34 | $2.47 | $1.10 | $1.46 | 52 |
| 2001 | $1.42 | $2.65 | $1.06 | $1.71 | 53 |
| 2000 | $1.48 | $2.85 | $1.26 | $1.68 | 52 |
| 1999 | $1.14 | $2.25 | $0.91 | $1.28 | 52 |
| 1998 | $1.03 | $2.09 | $0.94 | $1.10 | 52 |
| 1997 | $1.20 | $2.47 | $1.11 | $1.24 | 52 |
| 1996 | $1.20 | $2.53 | $1.08 | $1.29 | 53 |
| 1995 | $1.11 | $2.41 | $1.06 | $1.20 | 52 |
| 1994 | $1.07 | $2.40 | $0.99 | $1.17 | 52 |
| 1993 | $1.07 | $2.44 | $1.00 | $1.11 | 52 |
| 1992 | $1.09 | $2.56 | $1.00 | $1.15 | 52 |
| 1991 | $1.10 | $2.66 | $1.03 | $1.19 | 50 |
| 1990 | $1.30 | $3.28 | $1.19 | $1.35 | 16 |
History for a state or city
The EIA surveys these nine states and ten metros weekly over the same period. The other 41 states have a daily AAA average but no long series — nobody has ever measured them weekly, so there is no history page to build.
Common questions
What was the highest gas price ever in the US?
The highest weekly national average the EIA has recorded is $5.01 a gallon, in the week of 2022-06-13. Adjusted for inflation the record belongs to 2008-07-07, which works out to about $6.31 in 2026 money — so the nominal record and the real record are not the same week.
What was the lowest gas price in recent history?
$0.91 a gallon, in the week of 1999-02-22. In real terms that is far lower still, because a dollar in the early 1990s bought roughly two and a half times what it buys now.
Were gas prices really cheaper 20 years ago?
In dollars of the day, yes — but much less than the raw numbers suggest. This page charts both: the nominal line is what people paid at the time, and the adjusted line restates every week in 2026 money so the comparison is like for like. Most of the apparent rise since 1990 is the dollar rather than the fuel.
How far back does this data go?
The EIA has published a weekly national average for regular gasoline since 1990-08-20 — 1,875 weeks. Midgrade and premium start in late 1994, and No 2 diesel in March 1994. Nine states and ten metro areas have their own series over the same period; the other 41 states do not, because nobody has ever surveyed them weekly.