Price of a gallon of diesel by year, 1998–2025
A gallon of diesel cost $1.17 on average in 1998 and $3.68 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its sharpest one-year jump came in 2022, when the average rose 54% from 2021. The price rose 215% over those years while prices in general rose 98%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 59% more in 2025 than in 1998.
- Average in 1998
- $1.17
- Average in 2025
- $3.68
- Highest year, 2022
- $5.01
- Biggest one-year rise, 2022
- +54%
- Against inflation
- Beat it by 59%
Every year
The table lists all 28 years with data, from 1998 to 2025. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | $1.17 | $2.31 | — |
| 1999 | $1.21 | $2.34 | +3% |
| 2000 | $1.58 | $2.95 | +31% |
| 2001 | $1.53 | $2.78 | −3% |
| 2002 | $1.43 | $2.56 | −7% |
| 2003 | $1.65 | $2.89 | +15% |
| 2004 | $1.92 | $3.27 | +16% |
| 2005 | $2.52 | $4.15 | +31% |
| 2006 | $2.81 | $4.49 | +12% |
| 2007 | $2.96 | $4.60 | +5% |
| 2008 | $3.91 | $5.85 | +32% |
| 2009 | $2.53 | $3.80 | −35% |
| 2010 | $3.02 | $4.46 | +19% |
| 2011 | $3.88 | $5.55 | +28% |
| 2012 | $4.00 | $5.61 | +3% |
| 2013 | $3.92 | $5.42 | −2% |
| 2014 | $3.82 | $5.19 | −3% |
| 2015 | $2.74 | $3.72 | −28% |
| 2016 | $2.29 | $3.07 | −16% |
| 2017 | $2.63 | $3.45 | +15% |
| 2018 | $3.16 | $4.05 | +20% |
| 2019 | $3.07 | $3.87 | −3% |
| 2020 | $2.62 | $3.26 | −15% |
| 2021 | $3.26 | $3.87 | +24% |
| 2022 | $5.01 | $5.51 | +54% |
| 2023 | $4.32 | $4.56 | −14% |
| 2024 | $3.83 | $3.93 | −11% |
| 2025 | $3.68 | $3.68 | −4% |
Decade by decade
Across the 1990s the yearly average ran from $1.17 in 1998 to $1.21 in 1999, for a decade average of $1.19. The 2000s averaged $2.28: the most expensive year was 2008 at $3.91 and the cheapest 2002 at $1.43. In the 2010s, a gallon of diesel averaged $3.25, from a low of $2.29 in 2016 to a high of $4.00 in 2012. Across the 2020s the yearly average ran from $2.62 in 2020 to $5.01 in 2022, for a decade average of $3.79.
Every five years in this record: 2000 $1.58, 2005 $2.52, 2010 $3.02, 2015 $2.74, 2020 $2.62 and 2025 $3.68. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 13%, from $3.26 to $3.68.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1998 average of $1.17 is worth $2.31. The actual 2025 average was $3.68. So a gallon of diesel outpaced prices in general: after adjusting for inflation, it cost 59% more in 2025 than in 1998.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $5.01 in 2022, and the lowest is $1.17 in 1998. The biggest one-year increase was 54%, from $3.26 in 2021 to $5.01 in 2022. The biggest one-year decrease was 35%, from $3.91 in 2008 to $2.53 in 2009.
Of the 4 items in energy tracked here, 1 rose faster than inflation over their full records, and this is one of them. This record starts in 1998, the first year with at least nine months of Bureau prices.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU000074717), averaged over each calendar year. A year is included only when the Bureau published at least nine months of prices for it. Values in 2025 dollars use the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) annual average. See how Sticker Shock builds its data. Figures may contain errors and are not financial advice.