The average price of gasoline fell 12.2% in the 12 months ending April as compared to the annual decrease of 17.4% in March, according to the most recent inflation data published May 10, 2023, by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Gasoline is an important category reported within the BLS’s monthly report on consumer inflation, the Consumer Price Index (CPI). "Gasoline (all types)" is listed as a subcategory under the overall "Energy" index, as is fuel oil, electricity, and natural gas.
The following chart shows some of the most important figures reported in the latest CPI report.
Energy is included in the CPI’s "all items" index, which measure the average change over time in prices paid by consumers for good and services and is used to calculate inflation rates. However, due to the volatility of energy prices, they (along with food prices) are excluded when calculating core inflation rates.
This next chart highlights how gasoline prices have changed over time (gasoline inflation):
*For unfinished years, the latest inflation data (12-month based) is always displayed in the chart’s final column.
Table: Gasoline Inflation by Month and Year (1968-2023)
The table below shows the percentage increase or decrease in gas prices on an annual basis by month and calendar year. Specifically, it shows the rate of inflation for gasoline for the given month and year. As the figures provided by the BLS are based on 12-month periods, you can look to the December column to find the overall change in gas prices by calendar year. (See also: Gas Prices Adjusted for Inflation.)
| YEAR | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| 1968 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| 1969 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 3.4 |
| 1970 | 1.8 | 1.8 | -1.4 | 1.1 | 1.4 | -1.1 | 1.1 | -0.7 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| 1971 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 2.2 | -2.8 | -2.1 | -0.4 | -2.1 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | -0.4 |
| 1972 | -0.7 | -0.4 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| 1973 | 3.5 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 12.2 | 11.3 | 9.8 | 6.5 | 10.7 | 14.8 | 19.6 |
| 1974 | 26.7 | 32.7 | 41.6 | 41.5 | 43.3 | 40.9 | 41.1 | 40.1 | 40.5 | 32.0 | 25.7 | 20.7 |
| 1975 | 14.3 | 8.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 6.1 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 11.1 | 11.4 | 11.0 |
| 1976 | 9.9 | 8.5 | 6.8 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| 1977 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 7.5 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 6.8 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| 1978 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 7.4 | 8.6 |
| 1979 | 10.0 | 12.4 | 16.6 | 23.5 | 29.0 | 36.5 | 42.0 | 46.0 | 49.4 | 50.5 | 50.7 | 52.1 |
| 1980 | 60.1 | 67.9 | 68.1 | 59.7 | 51.7 | 42.0 | 34.5 | 28.8 | 23.9 | 22.1 | 20.7 | 18.9 |
| 1981 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.4 | 11.9 | 10.9 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 10.3 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 9.4 |
| 1982 | 5.4 | -2.9 | -8.7 | -12.5 | -11.1 | -5.4 | -3.1 | -3.2 | -4.1 | -4.7 | -5.3 | -6.7 |
| 1983 | -8.4 | -10.0 | -9.2 | 0.2 | 2.9 | -1.5 | -2.7 | -2.2 | -1.8 | -2.1 | -2.5 | -1.6 |
| 1984 | -0.4 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 1.8 | -1.1 | -2.9 | -5.0 | -6.1 | -5.0 | -3.2 | -2.4 | -2.5 |
| 1985 | -3.7 | -4.6 | -2.4 | -0.1 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.0 |
| 1986 | 4.5 | -0.2 | -14.5 | -25.4 | -24.2 | -22.2 | -27.4 | -30.5 | -28.3 | -29.8 | -30.8 | -30.7 |
| 1987 | -26.1 | -18.1 | -6.0 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 11.1 | 20.3 | 17.5 | 19.7 | 21.0 | 18.6 |
| 1988 | 9.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | -0.1 | -1.1 | -1.8 | -2.0 | -1.8 |
| 1989 | -0.1 | 2.6 | 5.2 | 16.3 | 18.9 | 18.3 | 14.9 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 8.8 | 6.9 | 6.5 |
| 1990 | 14.1 | 12.6 | 9.6 | -1.2 | -4.4 | -1.7 | -0.2 | 13.2 | 25.9 | 33.7 | 36.6 | 36.8 |
| 1991 | 19.2 | 10.1 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 8.4 | 6.3 | 4.0 | -3.7 | -10.7 | -17.3 | -16.6 | -16.2 |
| 1992 | -12.7 | -6.6 | -1.1 | -1.1 | -0.8 | 2.4 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.0 |
| 1993 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 0.2 | -3.3 | -4.8 | -4.8 | -5.8 | -2.3 | -4.3 | -5.9 |
| 1994 | -6.5 | -4.9 | -4.5 | -4.0 | -4.0 | -1.7 | 2.4 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 2.5 | 4.9 | 6.4 |
| 1995 | 6.8 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 9.0 | 8.6 | 3.3 | -3.0 | -3.8 | -3.6 | -6.4 | -4.2 |
| 1996 | -0.2 | 0.1 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.3 | 11.6 | 12.4 |
| 1997 | 9.9 | 9.8 | 4.6 | -2.6 | -7.1 | -5.0 | -4.9 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 1.2 | -2.8 | -6.1 |
| 1998 | -9.9 | -12.9 | -14.7 | -13.6 | -10.5 | -10.5 | -10.0 | -15.2 | -18.0 | -15.2 | -14.3 | -15.4 |
| 1999 | -13.1 | -11.1 | -5.0 | 10.2 | 7.0 | 4.6 | 9.3 | 17.7 | 22.6 | 21.2 | 21.9 | 30.1 |
| 2000 | 32.4 | 41.2 | 52.6 | 27.4 | 26.6 | 40.3 | 32.9 | 19.1 | 22.4 | 20.9 | 21.6 | 13.9 |
| 2001 | 12.4 | 8.1 | -5.8 | 3.8 | 14.4 | 2.2 | -7.8 | -5.1 | -2.7 | -12.6 | -21.5 | -24.9 |
| 2002 | -22.7 | -23.0 | -13.1 | -9.0 | -17.3 | -15.4 | -3.7 | -0.2 | -7.3 | 7.2 | 19.3 | 24.8 |
| 2003 | 29.3 | 43.1 | 37.6 | 15.8 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 14.5 | 21.0 | 9.8 | 5.5 | 6.8 |
| 2004 | 8.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 11.0 | 30.0 | 33.4 | 26.5 | 16.5 | 9.6 | 26.6 | 30.9 | 26.1 |
| 2005 | 14.3 | 14.7 | 16.8 | 24.2 | 10.3 | 6.9 | 19.5 | 31.3 | 54.8 | 37.0 | 16.1 | 16.1 |
| 2006 | 27.4 | 20.6 | 17.0 | 21.5 | 33.4 | 34.0 | 29.6 | 19.6 | -11.9 | -18.3 | -4.2 | 6.4 |
| 2007 | -2.7 | -1.4 | 7.2 | 3.2 | 6.0 | 5.0 | -1.1 | -6.4 | 8.7 | 23.4 | 37.1 | 29.6 |
| 2008 | 34.5 | 32.7 | 26.0 | 20.7 | 20.8 | 32.8 | 37.9 | 35.6 | 31.7 | 12.0 | -29.4 | -43.1 |
| 2009 | -40.4 | -35.6 | -39.3 | -39.5 | -39.4 | -34.6 | -37.3 | -30.0 | -29.7 | -17.9 | 23.6 | 53.5 |
| 2010 | 51.3 | 36.8 | 41.4 | 38.3 | 27.0 | 3.9 | 7.4 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 9.5 | 7.3 | 13.8 |
| 2011 | 13.4 | 19.2 | 27.5 | 33.1 | 36.9 | 35.6 | 33.6 | 32.4 | 33.3 | 23.5 | 19.7 | 9.9 |
| 2012 | 9.7 | 12.6 | 9.0 | 3.2 | -4.0 | -4.3 | -5.5 | 1.8 | 6.8 | 9.1 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| 2013 | -1.5 | 3.3 | -3.1 | -8.3 | -4.1 | 2.8 | 5.2 | -2.4 | -7.5 | -10.1 | -5.8 | -1.0 |
| 2014 | 0.1 | -8.1 | -4.7 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 0.8 | -2.8 | -3.6 | -5.0 | -10.5 | -21.0 |
| 2015 | -35.4 | -32.8 | -29.2 | -31.7 | -25.0 | -23.3 | -22.3 | -23.3 | -29.6 | -27.8 | -24.1 | -19.7 |
| 2016 | -7.3 | -20.7 | -20.9 | -13.8 | -16.9 | -15.4 | -19.9 | -17.8 | -6.5 | -0.9 | 1.0 | 9.1 |
| 2017 | 20.3 | 30.7 | 19.9 | 14.3 | 5.8 | -0.4 | 3.0 | 10.4 | 19.3 | 10.8 | 16.5 | 10.7 |
| 2018 | 8.5 | 12.6 | 11.1 | 13.4 | 21.8 | 24.3 | 25.4 | 20.3 | 9.1 | 16.1 | 5.0 | -2.1 |
| 2019 | -10.1 | -9.1 | -0.7 | 3.1 | -0.2 | -5.4 | -3.3 | -7.1 | -8.2 | -7.3 | -1.2 | 7.9 |
| 2020 | 12.8 | 5.6 | -10.2 | -32.0 | -33.8 | -23.4 | -20.3 | -16.8 | -15.4 | -18.0 | -19.3 | -15.2 |
| 2021 | -8.6 | 1.5 | 22.5 | 49.6 | 56.2 | 45.1 | 41.8 | 42.7 | 42.1 | 49.6 | 58.1 | 49.6 |
| 2022 | 40.0 | 38.0 | 48.0 | 43.6 | 48.7 | 59.9 | 44.0 | 25.6 | 18.2 | 17.5 | 10.1 | -1.5 |
| 2023 | 1.5 | -2.0 | -17.4 | -12.2 | Avail. June 13 |
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Gasoline (all types) in U.S. city average, all urban consumers, not seasonally adjusted. CPI-All Urban Consumers.
Table: Historical Gasoline Prices (1978-2023)
Finally, this table shows average gasoline prices (per gallon) in the United States as surveyed and reported by the BLS:
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 0.631 | 0.629 | 0.629 | 0.631 | 0.637 | 0.645 | 0.655 | 0.663 | 0.669 | 0.671 | 0.676 | 0.685 | 0.652 |
| 1979 | 0.695 | 0.707 | 0.733 | 0.780 | 0.823 | 0.880 | 0.930 | 0.967 | 0.998 | 1.006 | 1.019 | 1.042 | 0.882 |
| 1980 | 1.110 | 1.186 | 1.230 | 1.242 | 1.244 | 1.246 | 1.247 | 1.243 | 1.231 | 1.223 | 1.222 | 1.231 | 1.221 |
| 1981 | 1.269 | 1.353 | 1.388 | 1.381 | 1.370 | 1.362 | 1.353 | 1.348 | 1.358 | 1.353 | 1.351 | 1.348 | 1.353 |
| 1982 | 1.341 | 1.318 | 1.268 | 1.210 | 1.224 | 1.296 | 1.318 | 1.310 | 1.292 | 1.280 | 1.268 | 1.244 | 1.281 |
| 1983 | 1.214 | 1.170 | 1.135 | 1.198 | 1.243 | 1.261 | 1.272 | 1.269 | 1.257 | 1.239 | 1.224 | 1.215 | 1.225 |
| 1984 | 1.200 | 1.193 | 1.194 | 1.211 | 1.221 | 1.214 | 1.197 | 1.184 | 1.189 | 1.195 | 1.193 | 1.179 | 1.198 |
| 1985 | 1.145 | 1.128 | 1.155 | 1.199 | 1.223 | 1.233 | 1.233 | 1.222 | 1.209 | 1.198 | 1.201 | 1.203 | 1.196 |
| 1986 | 1.190 | 1.119 | 0.983 | 0.895 | 0.927 | 0.958 | 0.895 | 0.848 | 0.864 | 0.837 | 0.827 | 0.830 | 0.931 |
| 1987 | 0.868 | 0.911 | 0.918 | 0.940 | 0.948 | 0.966 | 0.980 | 1.004 | 1.000 | 0.988 | 0.987 | 0.975 | 0.957 |
| 1988 | 0.947 | 0.928 | 0.920 | 0.946 | 0.970 | 0.971 | 0.984 | 1.004 | 0.992 | 0.976 | 0.972 | 0.953 | 0.964 |
| 1989 | 0.944 | 0.955 | 0.974 | 1.098 | 1.152 | 1.150 | 1.132 | 1.096 | 1.073 | 1.071 | 1.046 | 1.030 | 1.060 |
| 1990 | 1.090 | 1.086 | 1.076 | 1.096 | 1.114 | 1.140 | 1.139 | 1.246 | 1.347 | 1.431 | 1.432 | 1.410 | 1.217 |
| 1991 | 1.304 | 1.198 | 1.138 | 1.159 | 1.209 | 1.214 | 1.185 | 1.196 | 1.199 | 1.180 | 1.193 | 1.182 | 1.196 |
| 1992 | 1.135 | 1.117 | 1.122 | 1.143 | 1.197 | 1.239 | 1.237 | 1.221 | 1.222 | 1.219 | 1.223 | 1.201 | 1.190 |
| 1993 | 1.182 | 1.172 | 1.163 | 1.175 | 1.193 | 1.194 | 1.174 | 1.163 | 1.151 | 1.193 | 1.178 | 1.136 | 1.173 |
| 1994 | 1.109 | 1.114 | 1.109 | 1.128 | 1.143 | 1.169 | 1.199 | 1.243 | 1.237 | 1.212 | 1.222 | 1.203 | 1.174 |
| 1995 | 1.190 | 1.181 | 1.173 | 1.197 | 1.256 | 1.281 | 1.252 | 1.222 | 1.206 | 1.185 | 1.161 | 1.160 | 1.205 |
| 1996 | 1.186 | 1.181 | 1.219 | 1.305 | 1.378 | 1.354 | 1.328 | 1.298 | 1.293 | 1.287 | 1.308 | 1.318 | 1.288 |
| 1997 | 1.318 | 1.312 | 1.293 | 1.288 | 1.284 | 1.286 | 1.263 | 1.310 | 1.334 | 1.300 | 1.271 | 1.236 | 1.291 |
| 1998 | 1.186 | 1.137 | 1.097 | 1.106 | 1.146 | 1.148 | 1.134 | 1.108 | 1.091 | 1.099 | 1.086 | 1.046 | 1.115 |
| 1999 | 1.031 | 1.014 | 1.048 | 1.232 | 1.233 | 1.204 | 1.244 | 1.309 | 1.334 | 1.329 | 1.319 | 1.353 | 1.221 |
| 2000 | 1.356 | 1.422 | 1.594 | 1.561 | 1.552 | 1.666 | 1.642 | 1.559 | 1.635 | 1.613 | 1.608 | 1.544 | 1.563 |
| 2001 | 1.525 | 1.538 | 1.503 | 1.617 | 1.812 | 1.731 | 1.565 | 1.509 | 1.609 | 1.442 | 1.324 | 1.200 | 1.531 |
| 2002 | 1.209 | 1.210 | 1.324 | 1.493 | 1.508 | 1.489 | 1.496 | 1.508 | 1.507 | 1.535 | 1.534 | 1.477 | 1.441 |
| 2003 | 1.557 | 1.686 | 1.791 | 1.704 | 1.587 | 1.558 | 1.567 | 1.671 | 1.771 | 1.646 | 1.578 | 1.538 | 1.638 |
| 2004 | 1.635 | 1.715 | 1.809 | 1.875 | 2.050 | 2.083 | 1.982 | 1.941 | 1.934 | 2.072 | 2.053 | 1.926 | 1.923 |
| 2005 | 1.866 | 1.960 | 2.107 | 2.325 | 2.257 | 2.218 | 2.357 | 2.548 | 2.969 | 2.830 | 2.387 | 2.230 | 2.338 |
| 2006 | 2.359 | 2.354 | 2.444 | 2.801 | 2.993 | 2.963 | 3.046 | 3.033 | 2.637 | 2.319 | 2.287 | 2.380 | 2.635 |
| 2007 | 2.321 | 2.333 | 2.639 | 2.909 | 3.176 | 3.100 | 3.013 | 2.833 | 2.839 | 2.843 | 3.118 | 3.069 | 2.849 |
| 2008 | 3.096 | 3.083 | 3.307 | 3.491 | 3.813 | 4.115 | 4.142 | 3.838 | 3.749 | 3.225 | 2.208 | 1.742 | 3.317 |
| 2009 | 1.838 | 1.979 | 2.000 | 2.107 | 2.314 | 2.681 | 2.594 | 2.677 | 2.626 | 2.613 | 2.709 | 2.671 | 2.401 |
| 2010 | 2.779 | 2.709 | 2.829 | 2.906 | 2.915 | 2.783 | 2.783 | 2.795 | 2.754 | 2.843 | 2.899 | 3.031 | 2.836 |
| 2011 | 3.139 | 3.215 | 3.594 | 3.863 | 3.982 | 3.753 | 3.703 | 3.680 | 3.664 | 3.521 | 3.475 | 3.329 | 3.577 |
| 2012 | 3.447 | 3.622 | 3.918 | 3.976 | 3.839 | 3.602 | 3.502 | 3.759 | 3.908 | 3.839 | 3.542 | 3.386 | 3.695 |
| 2013 | 3.407 | 3.748 | 3.792 | 3.647 | 3.682 | 3.693 | 3.687 | 3.658 | 3.616 | 3.434 | 3.310 | 3.333 | 3.584 |
| 2014 | 3.378 | 3.422 | 3.590 | 3.717 | 3.745 | 3.750 | 3.690 | 3.540 | 3.463 | 3.241 | 2.945 | 2.618 | 3.425 |
| 2015 | 2.170 | 2.308 | 2.544 | 2.545 | 2.832 | 2.889 | 2.893 | 2.745 | 2.463 | 2.357 | 2.249 | 2.125 | 2.510 |
| 2016 | 2.034 | 1.833 | 2.021 | 2.196 | 2.324 | 2.422 | 2.287 | 2.218 | 2.269 | 2.304 | 2.246 | 2.289 | 2.204 |
| 2017 | 2.409 | 2.360 | 2.386 | 2.479 | 2.448 | 2.400 | 2.344 | 2.436 | 2.688 | 2.545 | 2.608 | 2.521 | 2.469 |
| 2018 | 2.596 | 2.632 | 2.631 | 2.795 | 2.963 | 2.970 | 2.930 | 2.919 | 2.930 | 2.945 | 2.733 | 2.479 | 2.794 |
| 2019 | 2.352 | 2.412 | 2.620 | 2.894 | 2.963 | 2.814 | 2.836 | 2.716 | 2.694 | 2.741 | 2.687 | 2.652 | 2.698 |
| 2020 | 2.631 | 2.530 | 2.334 | 1.946 | 1.946 | 2.141 | 2.243 | 2.245 | 2.260 | 2.228 | 2.159 | 2.235 | 2.242 |
| 2021 | 2.391 | 2.559 | 2.856 | 2.907 | 3.041 | 3.245 | 3.326 | 3.351 | 3.361 | 3.477 | 3.576 | 3.505 | 3.133 |
| 2022 | 3.500 | 3.675 | 4.401 | 4.369 | 4.695 | 5.149 | 4.768 | 4.205 | 3.990 | 4.130 | 3.958 | 3.459 | 4.192 |
| 2023 | 3.555 | 3.622 | 3.660 | 3.839 | Avail. June 13 |
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Gasoline, all types, per gallon/3.785 liters in U.S. city average, average price, not seasonally adjusted.