U.S. city average · September 2026
Heating oil (fuel oil #2): $5.92 per gallon. Up 65% in a year.
In Sep 2026 dollars it cost $2.67 in November 1978, so it is 122% more expensive now after inflation. The record is $5.97, in May 2022; the low was 53.3¢, in November 1978.
Latest · Sep 2026
$5.92
per gallon
In one year
+64.9%
From $3.59
In ten years
+179.1%
From $2.12
Record high
$5.97
May 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. Months with no published price are bridged with a straight line.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, average price series APU000072511 (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 | 92.9¢ | $4.02 | up +537.5% | up +47.2% |
| Jan 1990 | $1.26 | $3.33 | up +370.4% | up +77.8% |
| Jan 2000 | $1.19 | $2.37 | up +398.1% | up +149.6% |
| Jan 2010 | $2.97 | $4.61 | up +99.6% | up +28.3% |
| Jan 2020 | $3.05 | $3.99 | up +94.0% | up +48.6% |
Year by year · 48 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 | $4.86 | up +34.3% | $3.58 Jan | $5.92 Sep |
| 202511 of 12 months | $3.62 | up +0.4% | $3.43 May | $3.83 Feb |
| 2024 | $3.61 | down −6.1% | $3.39 Sep | $3.83 Feb |
| 2023 | $3.84 | down −23.4% | $3.40 Jun | $4.31 Jan |
| 2022 | $5.01 | up +66.8% | $3.78 Jan | $5.97 May |
| 2021 | $3.01 | up +31.3% | $2.55 Jan | $3.51 Nov |
| 2020 | $2.29 | down −23.3% | $1.91 May | $3.05 Jan |
| 2019 | $2.98 | down −3.4% | $2.87 Aug | $3.10 Apr |
| 2018 | $3.09 | up +26.3% | $2.83 Mar | $3.38 Oct |
| 2017 | $2.45 | up +15.8% | $2.21 Jul | $2.70 Dec |
Every year back to 1979
| Year | Average | vs year before | Lowest month | Highest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $2.11 | down −18.8% | $1.92 Feb | $2.39 Dec |
| 2015 | $2.60 | down −29.8% | $2.11 Dec | $3.02 Mar |
| 2014 | $3.71 | down −0.3% | $3.14 Dec | $4.07 Feb |
| 2013 | $3.72 | down −0.9% | $3.57 Jun | $3.96 Feb |
| 2012 | $3.75 | up +1.1% | $3.49 Jul | $3.91 Mar |
| 2011 | $3.71 | up +26.9% | $3.42 Jan | $3.98 Apr |
| 2010 | $2.93 | up +16.4% | $2.80 Jul | $3.19 Dec |
| 2009 | $2.51 | down −33.0% | $2.32 Mar | $2.79 Nov |
| 2008 | $3.75 | up +40.0% | $2.64 Dec | $4.65 Jul |
| 2007 | $2.68 | up +7.4% | $2.37 Jan | $3.25 Dec |
| 2006 | $2.50 | up +12.4% | $2.38 Nov | $2.65 Aug |
| 2005 | $2.22 | up +35.0% | $1.86 Jan | $2.63 Oct |
| 2004 | $1.65 | up +17.5% | $1.51 Jan | $1.96 Nov |
| 2003 | $1.40 | up +20.6% | $1.28 Jul | $1.77 Mar |
| 2002 | $1.16 | down −11.3% | $1.11 Feb | $1.27 Dec |
| 2001 | $1.31 | down −3.7% | $1.12 Dec | $1.51 Jan |
| 2000 | $1.36 | up +51.2% | $1.19 Jan | $1.61 Feb |
| 1999 | 90.0¢ | up +2.2% | 82.8¢ Feb | $1.09 Dec |
| 1998 | 88.0¢ | down −13.3% | 82.7¢ Sep | 96.6¢ Jan |
| 1997 | $1.01 | down −0.5% | 94.5¢ Aug | $1.14 Jan |
| 1996 | $1.02 | up +14.1% | 93.4¢ Aug | $1.12 Dec |
| 1995 | 89.3¢ | down −2.5% | 87.0¢ Sep | 91.5¢ Feb |
| 1994 | 91.6¢ | down −2.9% | 89.0¢ Oct | 97.8¢ Feb |
| 1993 | 94.4¢ | down −1.8% | 90.6¢ Aug | 97.7¢ Mar |
| 1992 | 96.1¢ | down −5.6% | 94.3¢ Aug | 98.5¢ Jan |
| 1991 | $1.02 | down −6.4% | 92.6¢ Jul | $1.24 Jan |
| 1990 | $1.09 | up +22.5% | 88.0¢ Jul | $1.33 Oct |
| 1989 | 88.8¢ | up +4.9% | 84.6¢ Aug | 97.8¢ Dec |
| 1988 | 84.6¢ | down −0.6% | 79.0¢ Oct | 89.0¢ Jan |
| 1987 | 85.1¢ | up +2.0% | 81.7¢ Jan | 88.9¢ Dec |
| 1986 | 83.5¢ | down −22.7% | 72.6¢ Aug | $1.13 Jan |
| 198511 of 12 months | $1.08 | down −3.7% | $1.02 Aug | $1.14 Dec |
| 1984 | $1.12 | up +1.7% | $1.08 Sep | $1.22 Feb |
| 1983 | $1.10 | down −8.9% | $1.07 Apr | $1.19 Jan |
| 1982 | $1.21 | down −3.0% | $1.16 Apr | $1.25 Jan |
| 1981 | $1.25 | up +23.4% | $1.15 Jan | $1.29 Mar |
| 1980 | $1.01 | up +38.7% | 92.9¢ Jan | $1.07 Dec |
| 1979 | 72.8¢ | — | 55.5¢ Jan | 88.3¢ Dec |
About this number
- What this number is. The average price BLS records for “Fuel oil #2 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.
- No price for October 2025. BLS did not publish one: data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
- 1 other month without a price between Sep 1985 and Sep 1985. BLS publishes an average only when it has enough price quotes; the chart bridges those months with a straight line and the yearly table skips thin years.
- 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.