Regular gas
$3.25/gal
↑ 16.1% vs 2007
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2008
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2008 at a glance
Unemployment
5.8%
↑ 1.2 pp vs 2007
Grocery prices
↑ 6.4%
vs 2007
Inflation
↑ 3.8%
vs 2007
Median rent
$824/mo
No prior-year comparison
Median earnings
$29,868/yr
No prior-year comparison
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: 214.1.
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: 215.3.
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 2008?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2008
January
- Breaking Bad premieres on AMC — Breaking Bad premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, beginning a five-season run that became one of the most critically acclaimed dramas of the era. AMC Networks ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve lowers target rate to 3-1/2% — The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate to 3-1/2 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- No Country for Old Men wins Best Picture at the 2008 Academy Awards — No Country for Old Men won Best Picture at the 2008 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2007.
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) - Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 becomes law — Public Law 110-185 provided tax rebates and business incentives as an economic stimulus measure. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
April
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Díaz wins the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Díaz the 2008 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- August: Osage County, by Tracy Letts wins the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded August: Osage County, by Tracy Letts the 2008 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
May
- Phoenix lands near the Martian north pole — NASA’s Phoenix spacecraft landed in the Martian arctic and later confirmed water ice beneath the surface. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
June
- Supreme Court decides Boumediene v. Bush — The Court held that detainees at Guantanamo Bay had the constitutional privilege of habeas corpus and that the review process provided by statute was not an adequate substitute. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
- NASA launches the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope — Fermi launched to observe the universe in gamma rays and study extreme cosmic events. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
July
- Housing and Economic Recovery Act becomes law — Public Law 110-289 enacted housing and mortgage-market measures, including a new federal regulator for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
October
- Emergency Economic Stabilization Act becomes law — Public Law 110-343 authorized the Troubled Asset Relief Program and other measures during the financial crisis. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve lowers target rate to 1% — The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate to 1 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
November
- Barack Obama wins the presidential election — Barack Obama won the presidency with 365 electoral votes to John McCain's 173, becoming the first African American elected president of the United States. National Archives and Records Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- Boston Celtics win the 2008 NBA championship — Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 in the NBA Finals to win the 2008 championship. Paul Pierce 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 York Giants win Super Bowl XLII over undefeated Patriots — The New York Giants beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots 17-14, denying them a perfect 19-0 season.
Glendale, Arizona. University of Phoenix Stadium Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - Philadelphia Phillies win 2008 World Series over Rays — The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 1 to win the franchise's second 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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