Regular gas
$2.27/gal
↑ 22.6% vs 2004
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2005
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2005 at a glance
Unemployment
5.1%
↓ 0.5 pp vs 2004
Grocery prices
↑ 1.9%
vs 2004
Inflation
↑ 3.4%
vs 2004
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: 189.8.
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: 195.3.
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 2005?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2005
January
- George W. Bush begins second presidential term — George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were sworn in for second terms as president and vice president.
Washington, D.C.. West Front, U.S. Capitol Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- Million Dollar Baby wins Best Picture at the 2005 Academy Awards — Million Dollar Baby won Best Picture at the 2005 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2004.
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) - Federal Reserve raises target rate to 2-1/2% — The Federal Open Market Committee raised its target for the federal funds rate to 2-1/2 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Genius Loves Company wins Album of the Year at the 2005 Grammys — Ray Charles won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Genius Loves Company. Recording Academy ↗ (opens in new tab)
April
- Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act becomes law — Public Law 109-8 made broad changes to federal consumer-bankruptcy law, including new eligibility and filing requirements. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson wins the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson the 2005 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Doubt, a parable, by John Patrick Shanley wins the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Doubt, a parable, by John Patrick Shanley the 2005 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
July
- Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announces retirement — Justice Sandra Day O'Connor notified the president that she would retire from the Supreme Court upon confirmation of a successor. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Deep Impact strikes comet Tempel 1 — NASA’s Deep Impact mission released an impactor that collided with comet Tempel 1 to expose material beneath its surface. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
August
- NASA launches the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter — The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched to study Mars with high-resolution instruments and relay mission data. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
September
- Chief Justice William Rehnquist dies — Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died on September 3, 2005 after serving on the Supreme Court since 1972 and as chief justice since 1986. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Senate confirms John Roberts as chief justice — The Senate confirmed John G. Roberts Jr. as Chief Justice of the United States by a 78-22 vote. U.S. Senate ↗ (opens in new tab)
October
- President Bush nominates Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court — President George W. Bush submitted Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s nomination to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. U.S. Senate ↗ (opens in new tab)
December
- Detainee Treatment Act provisions become law — The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2006, Public Law 109-148, included the Detainee Treatment Act provisions restricting cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and addressing detainee procedures. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve raises target rate to 4-1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee raised its target for the federal funds rate to 4-1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- San Antonio Spurs win the 2005 NBA championship — San Antonio Spurs defeated the Detroit Pistons 4-3 in the NBA Finals to win the 2005 championship. Tim Duncan 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 XXXIX over Eagles — The New England Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21, their third championship in four seasons.
Jacksonville, Florida. Alltel Stadium Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - Chicago White Sox win 2005 World Series over Astros — The Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros 4 games to 0, winning the franchise's first championship since 1917. 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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