Regular gas
$2.57/gal
↑ 13.3% vs 2005
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2006
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2006 at a glance
Unemployment
4.6%
↓ 0.5 pp vs 2005
Grocery prices
↑ 1.8%
vs 2005
Inflation
↑ 3.2%
vs 2005
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: 193.1.
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: 201.6.
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 2006?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2006
January
- Senate confirms Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court — The Senate confirmed Samuel A. Alito Jr. as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by a 58-42 vote. U.S. Senate ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve raises target rate to 4-1/2% — The Federal Open Market Committee raised its target for the federal funds rate to 4-1/2 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Stardust returns comet samples to Earth — NASA’s Stardust capsule landed in Utah carrying the first samples collected from a comet. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
- NASA launches New Horizons toward Pluto — New Horizons launched on the first mission to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb wins Album of the Year at the 2006 Grammys — U2 won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Recording Academy ↗ (opens in new tab)
March
- Crash wins Best Picture at the 2006 Academy Awards — Crash won Best Picture at the 2006 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2005.
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) - USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization becomes law — Public Law 109-177 reauthorized and amended provisions associated with the USA PATRIOT Act and related authorities. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
April
- March, by Geraldine Brooks wins the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded March, by Geraldine Brooks the 2006 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Chiavi in Mano, by Yehudi Wyner wins the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Music — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Chiavi in Mano, by Yehudi Wyner the 2006 prize for Music. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
June
- Supreme Court decides Hamdan v. Rumsfeld — The Court held that the military commission at issue lacked authority to proceed because its structure and procedures violated applicable federal law and the Geneva Conventions as incorporated by statute. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve raises target rate to 5-1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee raised its target for the federal funds rate to 5-1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
July
- Voting Rights Act reauthorization becomes law — Public Law 109-246 reauthorized key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for 25 years. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Italy wins 2006 FIFA World Cup over France on penalties — Italy beat France 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw through extra time in Berlin, the final overshadowed by Zinedine Zidane's headbutt-triggered red card. FIFA.com ↗ (opens in new tab)
October
- Military Commissions Act becomes law — Public Law 109-366 established procedures for military commissions and addressed detention and habeas-related issues involving certain noncitizens designated as enemy combatants. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
November
- Democrats win control of the House in the midterm elections — The 2006 election produced a Democratic House majority for the 110th Congress, ending Republican control of the chamber. U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- Miami Heat win the 2006 NBA championship — Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the NBA Finals to win the 2006 championship. Dwyane Wade 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) - Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XL over Seahawks — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 to win the franchise's fifth championship.
Detroit, Michigan. Ford Field Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - St. Louis Cardinals win 2006 World Series over Tigers — The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 1 to win the franchise's tenth 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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