Regular gas
$2.78/gal
↑ 18.2% vs 2009
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2010
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2010 at a glance
Unemployment
9.6%
↑ 0.3 pp vs 2009
Grocery prices
↑ 0.3%
vs 2009
Inflation
↑ 1.6%
vs 2009
Median rent
$855/mo
↑ 1.5% vs 2009
Median earnings
$28,899/yr
↑ 1.9% vs 2009
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: 215.8.
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: 218.1.
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 2010?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2010
January
- Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election — Republican Scott Brown won the special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat left vacant by the death of Senator Edward Kennedy. U.S. Senate ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Supreme Court decides Citizens United v. FEC — The Court held that the government may not suppress independent political expenditures by corporations and unions on the basis of corporate identity. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve holds target rate at 0–1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee kept its target for the federal funds rate at 0–1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Fearless wins Album of the Year at the 2010 Grammys — Taylor Swift won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Fearless. Recording Academy ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- NASA launches the Solar Dynamics Observatory — The Solar Dynamics Observatory launched to continuously monitor the Sun and improve understanding of solar activity. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
March
- The Hurt Locker wins Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards — The Hurt Locker won Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2009.
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) - Affordable Care Act becomes law — Public Law 111-148 enacted major changes to health-insurance markets, Medicaid, Medicare, and other parts of the U.S. health-care system. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
April
- Tinkers, by Paul Harding wins the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Tinkers, by Paul Harding the 2010 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Next to Normal, by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey wins the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Next to Normal, by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey the 2010 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
July
- Dodd-Frank Act becomes law — Public Law 111-203 enacted broad financial-regulatory changes after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Spain wins 2010 FIFA World Cup over Netherlands — Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 in extra time on an Andres Iniesta goal in the 116th minute, winning the country's first World Cup title.
South Africa. International host country Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
ESPN ↗ (opens in new tab)
August
- Senate confirms Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court — The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan as an Associate Justice by a 63-37 vote. U.S. Senate ↗ (opens in new tab)
October
- Instagram launches on the App Store — Instagram, a photo-sharing app built by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, launched on Apple's App Store on October 6, 2010 and reached 25,000 users on its first day, ahead of its 2012 acquisition by Facebook. Britannica Money ↗ (opens in new tab)
November
- Republicans win control of the House in the midterm elections — The 2010 election produced a Republican House majority for the 112th Congress. U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives ↗ (opens in new tab)
December
- Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act becomes law — Public Law 111-321 established a process for ending the military's statutory ban on service by openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual personnel after required certifications. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve holds target rate at 0–1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee kept its target for the federal funds rate at 0–1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- Los Angeles Lakers win the 2010 NBA championship — Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 4-3 in the NBA Finals to win the 2010 championship. Kobe Bryant 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.
Los Angeles, California. Championship team connection; not the location of every Finals game Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
NBA.com ↗ (opens in new tab) NBA.com ↗ (opens in new tab) - New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV over Colts — The New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win the franchise's first championship, four and a half years after Hurricane Katrina.
Miami Gardens, Florida. Sun Life Stadium Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - San Francisco Giants win 2010 World Series over Rangers — The San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers 4 games to 1, winning the franchise's first championship since moving from New York in 1958. 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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