Regular gas
$1.85/gal
↑ 18.6% vs 2003
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2004
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2004 at a glance
Unemployment
5.5%
↓ 0.5 pp vs 2003
Grocery prices
↑ 3.8%
vs 2003
Inflation
↑ 2.7%
vs 2003
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: 186.2.
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: 188.9.
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 2004?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2004
January
- Spirit rover lands on Mars — NASA’s Spirit rover landed in Gusev Crater and began exploring the Martian surface. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Opportunity rover lands on Mars — NASA’s Opportunity rover landed at Meridiani Planum and began a mission that lasted nearly 15 years. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wins Best Picture at the 2004 Academy Awards — The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won Best Picture at the 2004 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2003.
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
- Unborn Victims of Violence Act becomes law — Public Law 108-212 established federal criminal-law provisions for harm to a child in utero during specified violent federal crimes. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- The Known World, by Edward P. Jones wins the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded The Known World, by Edward P. Jones the 2004 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- I Am My Own Wife, by Doug Wright wins the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded I Am My Own Wife, by Doug Wright the 2004 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
May
- Friends airs its series finale to 52.5 million viewers — NBC's Friends ended its ten-season run on May 6, 2004, drawing 52.5 million viewers, one of the most-watched series finales in American television history. History.com ↗ (opens in new tab)
June
- Former President Ronald Reagan dies — Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died on June 5, 2004, at age 93. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Supreme Court decides Hamdi v. Rumsfeld — The Court held that a U.S. citizen held as an enemy combatant must receive a meaningful opportunity to contest the factual basis for detention before a neutral decisionmaker. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve raises target rate to 1-1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee raised its target for the federal funds rate to 1-1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
July
- 9/11 Commission releases its final report — The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States released its bipartisan final report on the September 11 attacks and recommendations for preventing future attacks. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
November
- George W. Bush wins reelection — George W. Bush won a second presidential term; the Electoral College result was 286 votes for Bush and 251 for John Kerry. National Archives and Records Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
December
- Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act becomes law — Public Law 108-458 reorganized parts of the U.S. intelligence structure and implemented major recommendations associated with the 9/11 Commission. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve raises target rate to 2-1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee raised its target for the federal funds rate to 2-1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- Detroit Pistons win the 2004 NBA championship — Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the NBA Finals to win the 2004 championship. Chauncey Billups 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 XXXVIII over Panthers — The New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in a back-and-forth game decided by a late field goal.
Houston, Texas. Reliant Stadium Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - Boston Red Sox win 2004 World Series over Cardinals, ending 86-year drought — The Boston Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 0, winning their first championship since 1918 after coming back from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in the ALCS. 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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