Regular gas
$1.35/gal
↓ 5.3% vs 2001
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2002
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2002 at a glance
Unemployment
5.8%
↑ 1.0 pp vs 2001
Grocery prices
↑ 1.3%
vs 2001
Inflation
↑ 1.6%
vs 2001
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: 175.6.
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: 179.9.
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 2002?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2002
January
- No Child Left Behind Act becomes law — Public Law 107-110 revised federal elementary and secondary education policy, including testing and accountability requirements tied to federal funding. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- Mars Odyssey begins its primary science mission — NASA began Mars Odyssey’s mapping mission after the spacecraft completed aerobraking. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
March
- A Beautiful Mind wins Best Picture at the 2002 Academy Awards — A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture at the 2002 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2001.
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) - Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act becomes law — Public Law 107-155 amended federal campaign-finance law, including restrictions on national-party soft money and electioneering communications. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
April
- Empire Falls, by Richard Russo wins the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Empire Falls, by Richard Russo the 2002 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Topdog/Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks wins the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Topdog/Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks the 2002 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
May
- NASA launches the Aqua Earth-observing satellite — Aqua launched to study Earth’s water cycle, atmosphere, oceans, land, and ice. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
June
- Brazil wins 2002 FIFA World Cup over Germany — Brazil beat Germany 2-0 in the World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan, both goals scored by Ronaldo, winning a record fifth World Cup title. ESPN ↗ (opens in new tab)
- American Idol premieres on Fox — American Idol premiered on Fox on June 11, 2002, drawing 9.9 million viewers and launching a singing-competition format that dominated American reality television for years. Entertainment Now ↗ (opens in new tab)
July
- Sarbanes-Oxley Act becomes law — Public Law 107-204 established new corporate-accounting, auditing, and financial-reporting requirements after major corporate scandals. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
October
- Iraq authorization for use of military force becomes law — Public Law 107-243 authorized the president to use U.S. armed forces against Iraq under the conditions stated in the resolution. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Help America Vote Act becomes law — Public Law 107-252 created federal election-administration requirements and established the Election Assistance Commission. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
November
- Republicans gain control of the Senate in the midterm elections — The November 2002 elections produced a Republican Senate majority for the incoming Congress while Republicans also retained control of the House. U.S. Senate ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Homeland Security Act becomes law — Public Law 107-296 established the Department of Homeland Security and reorganized multiple federal functions into the new department. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve lowers target rate to 1 1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate to 1 1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
December
- Federal Reserve holds target rate at 1-1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee kept its target for the federal funds rate at 1-1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- Los Angeles Lakers win the 2002 NBA championship — Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Jersey Nets 4-0 in the NBA Finals to win the 2002 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) - New England Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVI over Rams — The New England Patriots upset the heavily favored St. Louis Rams 20-17 on a last-second field goal, the franchise's first championship.
New Orleans, Louisiana. Louisiana Superdome Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - Los Angeles Angels win 2002 World Series over Giants — The Angels, then known as the Anaheim Angels, beat the San Francisco Giants 4 games to 3 to win the franchise's first championship. 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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