Price of a gallon of regular gas by year, 1980–2025
A gallon of regular gas cost $1.25 on average in 1980 and $3.26 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its sharpest one-year jump came in 2021, when the average rose 41% from 2020. The price rose 161% over those years while prices in general rose 291%, so, measured in 2025 dollars, it cost 33% less in 2025 than in 1980.
- Average in 1980
- $1.25
- Average in 2025
- $3.26
- Highest year, 2022
- $4.09
- Biggest one-year rise, 2021
- +41%
- Against inflation
- Trailed it by 33%
Every year
The table lists all 46 years with data, from 1980 to 2025. Select a year to see what everything else cost that year.
| Year | Average price | In 2025 dollars | Change from year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $1.25 | $4.88 | — |
| 1981 | $1.38 | $4.89 | +10% |
| 1982 | $1.30 | $4.34 | −6% |
| 1983 | $1.24 | $4.01 | −5% |
| 1984 | $1.21 | $3.75 | −2% |
| 1985 | $1.20 | $3.59 | −1% |
| 1986 | $0.927 | $2.72 | −23% |
| 1987 | $0.948 | $2.69 | +2% |
| 1988 | $0.946 | $2.57 | 0% |
| 1989 | $1.02 | $2.65 | +8% |
| 1990 | $1.16 | $2.86 | +14% |
| 1991 | $1.14 | $2.69 | −2% |
| 1992 | $1.13 | $2.59 | −1% |
| 1993 | $1.11 | $2.47 | −2% |
| 1994 | $1.11 | $2.41 | 0% |
| 1995 | $1.15 | $2.43 | +4% |
| 1996 | $1.23 | $2.52 | +7% |
| 1997 | $1.23 | $2.47 | 0% |
| 1998 | $1.06 | $2.09 | −14% |
| 1999 | $1.17 | $2.26 | +10% |
| 2000 | $1.51 | $2.82 | +29% |
| 2001 | $1.46 | $2.65 | −3% |
| 2002 | $1.36 | $2.43 | −7% |
| 2003 | $1.59 | $2.78 | +17% |
| 2004 | $1.88 | $3.20 | +18% |
| 2005 | $2.30 | $3.79 | +22% |
| 2006 | $2.59 | $4.14 | +13% |
| 2007 | $2.80 | $4.35 | +8% |
| 2008 | $3.27 | $4.89 | +17% |
| 2009 | $2.35 | $3.53 | −28% |
| 2010 | $2.79 | $4.12 | +19% |
| 2011 | $3.53 | $5.05 | +27% |
| 2012 | $3.64 | $5.10 | +3% |
| 2013 | $3.53 | $4.88 | −3% |
| 2014 | $3.37 | $4.58 | −5% |
| 2015 | $2.45 | $3.33 | −27% |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $2.87 | −13% |
| 2017 | $2.41 | $3.17 | +13% |
| 2018 | $2.74 | $3.51 | +14% |
| 2019 | $2.64 | $3.32 | −4% |
| 2020 | $2.17 | $2.70 | −18% |
| 2021 | $3.05 | $3.62 | +41% |
| 2022 | $4.09 | $4.50 | +34% |
| 2023 | $3.66 | $3.87 | −11% |
| 2024 | $3.45 | $3.54 | −6% |
| 2025 | $3.26 | $3.26 | −6% |
Decade by decade
In the 1980s, a gallon of regular gas averaged $1.14, from a low of $0.927 in 1986 to a high of $1.38 in 1981. Across the 1990s the yearly average ran from $1.06 in 1998 to $1.23 in 1996, for a decade average of $1.15. The 2000s averaged $2.11: the most expensive year was 2008 at $3.27 and the cheapest 2002 at $1.36. In the 2010s, a gallon of regular gas averaged $2.92, from a low of $2.14 in 2016 to a high of $3.64 in 2012. Across the 2020s the yearly average ran from $2.17 in 2020 to $4.09 in 2022, for a decade average of $3.28.
Every five years in this record: 1980 $1.25, 1985 $1.20, 1990 $1.16, 1995 $1.15, 2000 $1.51, 2005 $2.30, 2010 $2.79, 2015 $2.45, 2020 $2.17 and 2025 $3.26. From 2021 to 2025, the most recent years of data, the average rose 7%, from $3.05 to $3.26.
Against inflation
In 2025 dollars, the 1980 average of $1.25 is worth $4.88. The actual 2025 average was $3.26. So after adjusting for inflation, a gallon of regular gas cost 33% less in 2025 than in 1980, even though the price on the shelf went up.
Highs, lows and big moves
The highest yearly average in this record is $4.09 in 2022, and the lowest is $0.927 in 1986. The biggest one-year increase was 41%, from $2.17 in 2020 to $3.05 in 2021. The biggest one-year decrease was 28%, from $3.27 in 2008 to $2.35 in 2009.
Of the 4 items in energy tracked here, 1 rose faster than inflation over their full records.
Average prices are U.S. city averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series APU000074714), 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.