U.S. city average · September 2026
Gasoline, regular unleaded: $4.48 per gallon. Up 34% in a year.
In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $3.67 in January 1976, so it is 22% more expensive now after inflation. The record is $5.06, in June 2022; the low was 59.2¢, in April 1976.
Latest · Sep 2026
$4.48
per gallon
In one year
+34.2%
From $3.34
In ten years
+103.0%
From $2.21
Record high
$5.06
June 2022
Solid: the average price in each month, in the dollars of that month. Dashed: the same price restated in Sep 2026 dollars using the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U). Where the dashed line falls, the item got cheaper relative to everything else.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, average price series APU000074714 (U.S. city average) · CPI-U CUUR0000SA0
Then and now
A January in every decade, against September 2026.
“Now vs then” is the plain change on the shelf. “After inflation” compares the old price in Sep 2026 dollars with today’s: negative means it costs less of a typical paycheck’s buying power than it did.
| Month | Price then | Today’s $ | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1980 | $1.13 | $4.90 | up +296.3% | down −8.5% |
| Jan 1990 | $1.04 | $2.76 | up +330.1% | up +62.6% |
| Jan 2000 | $1.30 | $2.60 | up +244.5% | up +72.6% |
| Jan 2010 | $2.73 | $4.25 | up +64.1% | up +5.5% |
| Jan 2020 | $2.57 | $3.35 | up +74.6% | up +33.7% |
Year by year · 51 years
Yearly averages, newest first.
Averages of the monthly prices in each calendar year. Years with fewer than nine published months are left out; partial years are marked.
| Year | Average | vs year before | Lowest month | Highest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20269 of 12 months | $3.97 | up +22.0% | $2.96 Jan | $4.65 May |
| 2025 | $3.26 | down −5.6% | $3.05 Dec | $3.34 Sep |
| 2024 | $3.45 | down −5.7% | $3.15 Dec | $3.78 Apr |
| 2023 | $3.66 | down −10.6% | $3.29 Dec | $3.99 Sep |
| 2022 | $4.09 | up +34.2% | $3.36 Dec | $5.06 Jun |
| 2021 | $3.05 | up +40.3% | $2.33 Jan | $3.48 Nov |
| 2020 | $2.17 | down −17.5% | $1.88 Apr | $2.57 Jan |
| 2019 | $2.64 | down −3.6% | $2.29 Jan | $2.90 May |
| 2018 | $2.74 | up +13.6% | $2.41 Dec | $2.91 Jun |
| 2017 | $2.41 | up +12.4% | $2.28 Jul | $2.63 Sep |
Every year back to 1976
| Year | Average | vs year before | Lowest month | Highest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $2.14 | down −12.5% | $1.77 Feb | $2.36 Jun |
| 2015 | $2.45 | down −27.3% | $2.06 Dec | $2.83 Jun |
| 2014 | $3.37 | down −4.5% | $2.56 Dec | $3.69 Jun |
| 2013 | $3.53 | down −3.2% | $3.25 Nov | $3.73 Mar |
| 2012 | $3.64 | up +3.3% | $3.33 Dec | $3.93 Apr |
| 2011 | $3.53 | up +26.5% | $3.09 Jan | $3.93 May |
| 2010 | $2.79 | up +18.6% | $2.66 Feb | $2.98 Dec |
| 2009 | $2.35 | down −28.0% | $1.79 Jan | $2.66 Nov |
| 2008 | $3.27 | up +16.6% | $1.69 Dec | $4.09 Jul |
| 2007 | $2.80 | up +8.2% | $2.27 Jan | $3.13 May |
| 2006 | $2.59 | up +12.8% | $2.24 Nov | $3.00 Jul |
| 2005 | $2.30 | up +22.1% | $1.82 Jan | $2.93 Sep |
| 2004 | $1.88 | up +18.2% | $1.59 Jan | $2.04 Jun |
| 2003 | $1.59 | up +17.2% | $1.47 Jan | $1.75 Mar |
| 2002 | $1.36 | down −7.1% | $1.13 Feb | $1.45 Oct |
| 2001 | $1.46 | down −3.2% | $1.13 Dec | $1.73 May |
| 2000 | $1.51 | up +29.6% | $1.30 Jan | $1.62 Jun |
| 1999 | $1.17 | up +10.0% | 95.5¢ Feb | $1.30 Dec |
| 1998 | $1.06 | down −14.1% | 98.6¢ Dec | $1.13 Jan |
| 1997 | $1.23 | up +0.2% | $1.18 Dec | $1.28 Sep |
| 1996 | $1.23 | up +7.3% | $1.12 Feb | $1.32 May |
| 1995 | $1.15 | up +3.2% | $1.10 Nov | $1.23 Jun |
| 1994 | $1.11 | up +0.4% | $1.04 Jan | $1.18 Aug |
| 1993 | $1.11 | down −1.6% | $1.07 Dec | $1.13 Jun |
| 1992 | $1.13 | down −1.2% | $1.05 Feb | $1.18 Jun |
| 1991 | $1.14 | down −2.1% | $1.08 Mar | $1.25 Jan |
| 1990 | $1.16 | up +13.9% | $1.02 Mar | $1.38 Oct |
| 1989 | $1.02 | up +8.0% | 91.8¢ Jan | $1.12 May |
| 1988 | 94.6¢ | down −0.2% | 90.4¢ Mar | 98.7¢ Aug |
| 1987 | 94.8¢ | up +2.3% | 86.2¢ Jan | 99.5¢ Aug |
| 1986 | 92.7¢ | down −22.8% | 82.1¢ Nov | $1.19 Jan |
| 1985 | $1.20 | down −0.9% | $1.13 Feb | $1.24 Jul |
| 1984 | $1.21 | down −2.3% | $1.19 Dec | $1.24 May |
| 1983 | $1.24 | down −4.2% | $1.15 Mar | $1.29 Jul |
| 1982 | $1.30 | down −6.0% | $1.23 Apr | $1.36 Jan |
| 1981 | $1.38 | up +10.7% | $1.30 Jan | $1.42 Mar |
| 1980 | $1.25 | up +37.9% | $1.13 Jan | $1.27 Jul |
| 1979 | 90.3¢ | up +34.8% | 71.6¢ Jan | $1.06 Dec |
| 1978 | 67.0¢ | up +2.1% | 64.7¢ Feb | 70.5¢ Dec |
| 1977 | 65.6¢ | up +6.8% | 62.7¢ Jan | 66.7¢ Jul |
| 1976 | 61.4¢ | — | 59.2¢ Apr | 63.0¢ Sep |
About this number
- What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Gasoline, unleaded regular, per gallon/3.785 liters” across U.S. cities, collected for the Consumer Price Index. It is an average across many stores and brands, not a price at any one store.
- Today’s dollars. Prices are restated in Sep 2026 dollars by multiplying by CPI-U for Sep 2026 (336.94) and dividing by CPI-U for the month in question.