Regular gas
$3.52/gal
↑ 26.6% vs 2010
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2011
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2011 at a glance
Unemployment
8.9%
↓ 0.7 pp vs 2010
Grocery prices
↑ 4.8%
vs 2010
Inflation
↑ 3.2%
vs 2010
Median rent
$871/mo
↑ 1.9% vs 2010
Median earnings
$29,538/yr
↑ 2.2% vs 2010
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: 226.2.
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: 224.9.
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 2011?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2011
January
- James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act becomes law — Public Law 111-347 established health-monitoring and compensation programs for eligible responders and survivors affected by the September 11 attacks. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- John Boehner becomes Speaker of the House — The House elected John A. Boehner of Ohio as Speaker at the start of the 112th Congress. U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives ↗ (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)
February
- The King's Speech wins Best Picture at the 2011 Academy Awards — The King's Speech won Best Picture at the 2011 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2010.
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
- Game of Thrones premieres on HBO — Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of George R. R. Martin's fantasy novels, premiered April 17, 2011 with the episode "Winter Is Coming," beginning a series that would become one of the most-watched and most-discussed dramas of the decade. IMDb ↗ (opens in new tab)
- A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan wins the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan the 2011 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Clybourne Park, by Bruce Norris wins the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Clybourne Park, by Bruce Norris the 2011 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
May
- President Obama announces death of Osama bin Laden — President Barack Obama announced that a U.S. operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan, had killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Obama White House Archives ↗ (opens in new tab)
August
- Budget Control Act becomes law — Public Law 112-25 raised the debt limit and established spending caps and a process that later produced sequestration. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- NASA launches Juno toward Jupiter — Juno launched to investigate Jupiter’s origin, structure, atmosphere, and magnetic field. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
September
- Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell takes effect — The statutory repeal process was completed and the military policy known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell ended on September 20, 2011. U.S. Department of Defense ↗ (opens in new tab)
November
- NASA launches the Curiosity Mars rover — The Mars Science Laboratory mission launched Curiosity toward Gale Crater. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
December
- National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012 becomes law — Public Law 112-81 authorized defense programs and included contested provisions addressing detention and national-security authorities. 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
- Dallas Mavericks win the 2011 NBA championship — Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat 4-2 in the NBA Finals to win the 2011 championship. Dirk Nowitzki 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) - Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl XLV over Steelers — The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win the franchise's fourth Super Bowl championship.
Arlington, Texas. Cowboys Stadium Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - St. Louis Cardinals win 2011 World Series over Rangers — The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 4 games to 3 after rallying from two runs down in the ninth inning of Game 6. 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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