Regular gas
$1.42/gal
↓ 4.3% vs 2000
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2001
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2001 at a glance
Unemployment
4.7%
↑ 0.8 pp vs 2000
Grocery prices
↑ 3.3%
vs 2000
Inflation
↑ 2.8%
vs 2000
Median rent
Not available
Annual ACS starts in 2005
Median earnings
Not available
Annual ACS starts in 2005
Show KPI details
Regular gas
U.S. average annual retail price for one gallon of regular gasoline, all formulations. Annual figure published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Source: EIA ↗ (opens in new tab)Unemployment
Average U.S. unemployment rate for the year, calculated as the mean of the published monthly Current Population Survey unemployment rates.
Source: BLS ↗ (opens in new tab)Grocery prices
Year-over-year movement in the BLS Food at Home Consumer Price Index. Underlying CPI index: 173.4.
Source: BLS ↗ (opens in new tab)Inflation
Year-over-year change in the U.S. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, all items. Underlying CPI index: 177.1.
Source: BLS ↗ (opens in new tab)Median rent
Median gross monthly rent for occupied rental housing units. Annual ACS 1-year estimates begin in 2005.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS ↗ (opens in new tab)Median earnings
Median annual earnings measure from the American Community Survey. Annual ACS 1-year estimates begin in 2005.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS ↗ (opens in new tab)What is CPI?
CPI is an index used to track how consumer prices change over time. The reference period 1982–84 equals 100. A value such as 177.1 is an index level, not a dollar amount or an inflation rate.
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What happened?
What happened in 2001?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2001
January
- George W. Bush is inaugurated as president — George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd president, and Dick Cheney as the 46th vice president, at the U.S. Capitol.
Washington, D.C.. West Front, U.S. Capitol Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies ↗ (opens in new tab) - Federal Reserve lowers target rate to 6% — The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate to 6 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- Two Against Nature wins Album of the Year at the 2001 Grammys — Steely Dan won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Two Against Nature. Recording Academy ↗ (opens in new tab)
- NEAR Shoemaker becomes the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid — NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft landed on asteroid Eros after a year in orbit. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
March
- Gladiator wins Best Picture at the 2001 Academy Awards — Gladiator won Best Picture at the 2001 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2000.
Annual Entertainment anchor event for the America Since 2000 timeline, sourced to the Academy’s official ceremony archive.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ↗ (opens in new tab)
April
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon wins the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon the 2001 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Proof, by David Auburn wins the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Proof, by David Auburn the 2001 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- NASA launches 2001 Mars Odyssey — The Mars Odyssey orbiter launched to map Mars and study its composition and radiation environment. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
June
- Control of the Senate shifts to Democrats — Senator James Jeffords' change from Republican to Independent status took effect and he caucused with Democrats, shifting Senate control during the session. U.S. Senate ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act becomes law — Public Law 107-16 enacted a major package of federal tax reductions and tax-code changes. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
September
- Congressional authorization for use of military force becomes law — Public Law 107-40 authorized the president to use necessary and appropriate force against those responsible for the September 11 attacks and associated actors covered by the resolution. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
October
- USA PATRIOT Act becomes law — Public Law 107-56 expanded federal investigative and law-enforcement authorities in response to terrorism and national-security concerns. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
December
- Federal Reserve lowers target rate to 1-3/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate to 1-3/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- Los Angeles Lakers win the 2001 NBA championship — Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 in the NBA Finals to win the 2001 championship. Shaquille O'Neal was named Finals MVP.
Annual Sports anchor event for the America Since 2000 timeline. The championship, runner-up, series result, and Finals MVP are sourced from NBA.com history archives.
NBA.com ↗ (opens in new tab) NBA.com ↗ (opens in new tab) - Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV over Giants — The Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV behind a defense that allowed no offensive touchdowns.
Tampa, Florida. Raymond James Stadium Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - Arizona Diamondbacks win 2001 World Series over Yankees — The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees 4 games to 3, winning a championship in the franchise's fourth season. MLB.com ↗ (opens in new tab)
What changed?
How have regular gas prices changed since 2000?
Only years with a verified figure are plotted; a gap in the line means no verified value exists in between, not zero change.
REGULAR GAS
U.S. average retail price per gallon
Not enough historical observations to display this comparison.
REGULAR GAS
Average value per decade, from verified years only.
Not enough historical observations to summarize by decade.
REGULAR GAS · ANNUAL VALUES
| Year | Value | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $1.136 | — |
| 2000 | $1.484 | — |
| 2001 | $1.420 | — |
| 2002 | $1.345 | — |
| 2003 | $1.561 | — |
| 2004 | $1.852 | — |
| 2005 | $2.270 | — |
| 2006 | $2.572 | — |
| 2007 | $2.796 | — |
| 2008 | $3.246 | — |
| 2009 | $2.353 | — |
| 2010 | $2.782 | — |
| 2011 | $3.521 | — |
| 2012 | $3.618 | — |
| 2013 | $3.505 | — |
| 2014 | $3.358 | — |
| 2015 | $2.429 | — |
| 2016 | $2.143 | — |
| 2017 | $2.415 | — |
| 2018 | $2.719 | — |
| 2019 | $2.604 | — |
| 2020 | $2.168 | — |
| 2021 | $3.008 | — |
| 2022 | $3.951 | — |
| 2023 | $3.519 | — |
| 2024 | $3.304 | — |
| 2025 | $3.097 | — |
| 2026 | $4.058 | — |
Want to compare the numbers directly? Compare two years →
About these figures
Economic figures come from official U.S. government sources (BLS, EIA, and Census); historical events come from Data Driven Tech's reviewed content collection. Every figure and every event links to its original public source. Where a source has not yet published a figure for a given year, that is stated directly rather than estimated.
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