Regular gas
$2.60/gal
↓ 4.2% vs 2018
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2019
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2019 at a glance
Unemployment
3.7%
↓ 0.2 pp vs 2018
Grocery prices
↑ 0.9%
vs 2018
Inflation
↑ 1.8%
vs 2018
Median rent
$1,097/mo
↑ 3.7% vs 2018
Median earnings
$36,519/yr
↑ 3.5% vs 2018
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: 241.8.
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: 255.7.
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 2019?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2019
January
- Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker of the House again — The House elected Nancy Pelosi as Speaker at the start of the 116th Congress, returning her to the office after eight years. U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Partial federal government shutdown ends — The December 2018-January 2019 partial shutdown ended on January 25 after 35 days. Congressional Research Service ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- Green Book wins Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards — Green Book won Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2018.
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)
March
- Special Counsel Mueller submits report to attorney general — Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded his investigation and submitted his confidential report to Attorney General William Barr. U.S. Department of Justice ↗ (opens in new tab)
April
- Justice Department releases redacted Mueller report — The Department of Justice released a public, redacted version of the Special Counsel's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters. U.S. Department of Justice ↗ (opens in new tab)
- The Overstory, by Richard Powers wins the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded The Overstory, by Richard Powers the 2019 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury wins the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury the 2019 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Scientists reveal the first image of a black hole — The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration released the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole. National Science Foundation ↗ (opens in new tab)
May
- Game of Thrones ends with a record 19.3 million viewers — Game of Thrones concluded on May 19, 2019 with "The Iron Throne," drawing 19.3 million multiplatform viewers, an HBO series record, despite widespread fan criticism of the final season. Deadline ↗ (opens in new tab)
June
- Supreme Court decides Department of Commerce v. New York — The Court rejected the stated rationale for adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census as inadequately explained and sent the matter back to the agency. Oyez ↗ (opens in new tab)
July
- Old Town Road sets the Billboard Hot 100 longevity record — "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus spent a 17th consecutive week at number one on July 29, 2019, breaking the all-time record for longest-running Billboard Hot 100 number one. Billboard ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve lowers target rate to 2–2-1/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate to 2–2-1/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
September
- House announces formal impeachment inquiry — Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House was moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. U.S. House of Representatives ↗ (opens in new tab)
October
- Representative Elijah Cummings dies — Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland died on October 17, 2019 while serving as chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve lowers target rate to 1-1/2–1-3/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate to 1-1/2–1-3/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
- NASA astronauts conduct the first all-woman spacewalk — Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completed the first spacewalk conducted entirely by women. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
November
- Disney+ launches with The Mandalorian — Disney+ launched in the United States on November 12, 2019, with The Mandalorian as its flagship original series, a live-action Star Wars show that became the platform's early signature hit. Disney+ Press ↗ (opens in new tab)
December
- House impeaches President Donald Trump — The House approved two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives ↗ (opens in new tab)
- National Defense Authorization Act creates U.S. Space Force — Public Law 116-92 established the United States Space Force as an armed force within the Department of the Air Force. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- Toronto Raptors win the 2019 NBA championship — Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the NBA Finals to win the 2019 championship. Kawhi Leonard 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 LIII over Rams — The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
Atlanta, Georgia. Mercedes-Benz Stadium Location ↗ (opens in new tab)
CBS News ↗ (opens in new tab) - Washington Nationals win 2019 World Series over Astros — The Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros 4 games to 3, winning the franchise's first championship since relocating from Montreal. 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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