US gas price history
Every weekly national average the EIA has published since 1990-08-20 — 1,882 observations. Charted twice: in the dollars people actually paid, and restated in September 2026 money, to distinguish nominal price changes from changes in purchasing power.
Your dates, compared
Was gas cheaper then?
Compare two published weeks in the United States. Inflation-adjusted prices use September 2026 dollars.
Published weeks: 2025-09-29 and 2026-09-28. A date between releases uses the preceding observation within seven days.
Prices as paid · per gallon
$3.118 → $4.465
43.2% change
In September 2026 dollars · per gallon
$3.235 → $4.465
38.0% change
Sources: US EIA weekly retail prices; BLS monthly CPI-U. The download includes actual observation dates, units and methodology. Prices are averages, not individual station quotes.
- Regular
- Diesel
Show the data as a table
The same prices in September 2026 money
Gas cost about $1.19 a gallon in 1990 and $4.28 now, which looks like a rise of +259.7%. The adjusted line uses published monthly inflation data. Among observations with CPI available, the highest adjusted week is 2008-06-30. The nominal peak is 2022-06-13.
- In September 2026 dollars
- As paid at the time
Show the data as a table
Each weekly price uses its calendar month’s published, unadjusted BLS CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0), expressed in September 2026 dollars. Weeks without published CPI are omitted from the adjusted series; no inflation estimate is substituted. Annual adjusted means are shown only when every available price observation has CPI coverage.
Where today sits
99% of the weeks since 1990 were cheaper than today in nominal terms, and 1% were dearer.
The average price every year since 1990
| Year | Average | In September 2026 money | Cheapest week | Dearest week | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $3.86 | — | $2.78 | $4.50 | 42 |
| 2025 | $3.10 | — | $2.81 | $3.24 | 52 |
| 2024 | $3.30 | $3.55 | $3.01 | $3.67 | 53 |
| 2023 | $3.52 | $3.89 | $3.05 | $3.88 | 52 |
| 2022 | $3.95 | $4.55 | $3.09 | $5.01 | 52 |
| 2021 | $3.01 | $3.73 | $2.25 | $3.41 | 52 |
| 2020 | $2.17 | $2.82 | $1.77 | $2.58 | 52 |
| 2019 | $2.60 | $3.43 | $2.24 | $2.90 | 52 |
| 2018 | $2.72 | $3.65 | $2.27 | $2.96 | 53 |
| 2017 | $2.41 | $3.32 | $2.26 | $2.69 | 52 |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $3.01 | $1.72 | $2.40 | 52 |
| 2015 | $2.43 | $3.45 | $2.03 | $2.84 | 52 |
| 2014 | $3.36 | $4.78 | $2.30 | $3.71 | 52 |
| 2013 | $3.50 | $5.07 | $3.19 | $3.78 | 52 |
| 2012 | $3.62 | $5.31 | $3.25 | $3.94 | 53 |
| 2011 | $3.52 | $5.27 | $3.07 | $3.97 | 52 |
| 2010 | $2.78 | $4.30 | $2.61 | $3.05 | 52 |
| 2009 | $2.35 | $3.69 | $1.68 | $2.69 | 52 |
| 2008 | $3.25 | $5.07 | $1.61 | $4.11 | 52 |
| 2007 | $2.80 | $4.54 | $2.17 | $3.22 | 53 |
| 2006 | $2.57 | $4.30 | $2.20 | $3.04 | 52 |
| 2005 | $2.27 | $3.91 | $1.78 | $3.07 | 52 |
| 2004 | $1.85 | $3.30 | $1.51 | $2.06 | 52 |
| 2003 | $1.56 | $2.86 | $1.44 | $1.75 | 52 |
| 2002 | $1.34 | $2.52 | $1.10 | $1.46 | 52 |
| 2001 | $1.42 | $2.70 | $1.06 | $1.71 | 53 |
| 2000 | $1.48 | $2.90 | $1.26 | $1.68 | 52 |
| 1999 | $1.14 | $2.30 | $0.91 | $1.28 | 52 |
| 1998 | $1.03 | $2.13 | $0.94 | $1.10 | 52 |
| 1997 | $1.20 | $2.52 | $1.11 | $1.24 | 52 |
| 1996 | $1.20 | $2.58 | $1.08 | $1.29 | 53 |
| 1995 | $1.11 | $2.46 | $1.06 | $1.20 | 52 |
| 1994 | $1.07 | $2.44 | $0.99 | $1.17 | 52 |
| 1993 | $1.07 | $2.49 | $1.00 | $1.11 | 52 |
| 1992 | $1.09 | $2.61 | $1.00 | $1.15 | 52 |
| 1991 | $1.10 | $2.72 | $1.03 | $1.19 | 50 |
| 1990 | $1.30 | $3.29 | $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. Among observations with published monthly CPI, the highest inflation-adjusted price belongs to 2008-06-30, which works out to about $6.31 in September 2026 money. The inflation-adjusted comparison covers only weeks with published CPI.
What was the lowest gas price in recent history?
$0.91 a gallon, in the week of 1999-02-22. This is the nominal low; the inflation-adjusted chart expresses historical prices in a common month’s purchasing power.
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 September 2026 money so the comparison is like for like. The two series distinguish price changes from changes in purchasing power.
How far back does this data go?
The EIA has published a weekly national average for regular gasoline since 1990-08-20 — 1,882 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; other states are not covered by this EIA archive.