Regular gas
$4.06/gal
No prior-year comparison
2026 year to date
A year-by-year explorer from 2000 to present
America Through the Years
2000–2026
Exploring: 2026
Explore how prices, jobs, housing, sports, entertainment, technology, politics and major events changed across America — one year at a time.
The economy
2026 at a glance
Unemployment
4.1%
No prior-year comparison
2026 year to date
Grocery prices
↑ 2.7%
No prior-year comparison
2026 year to date
Inflation
↑ 3.4%
No prior-year comparison
2026 year to date
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: 321.6.
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: 333.9.
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 2026?
History in place
Where this event happened
More details
All events and sources for 2026
January
- Partial federal funding lapse begins — A partial lapse in appropriations began January 31, 2026, and federal government operating status varied by agency. U.S. Office of Personnel Management ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve holds target rate at 3-1/2–3-3/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee kept its target for the federal funds rate at 3-1/2–3-3/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
February
- Seahawks win Super Bowl LX over Patriots — The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX behind a dominant defensive performance. Running back Kenneth Walker III was named MVP after rushing for 135 yards on 27 carries, the first running back to win the award since 1998. NFL.com ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 becomes law and reopens government — Public Law 119-75 was approved on February 3, 2026. The administration described the spending bill as ending the shutdown and reopening the federal government. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS wins Album of the Year at the 2026 Grammys — Bad Bunny won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Recording Academy ↗ (opens in new tab)
March
- One Battle after Another wins Best Picture at the 2026 Academy Awards — One Battle after Another won Best Picture at the 2026 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2025.
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) - NASA R5 technology demonstration launches — The R5 S10 small-spacecraft technology demonstration launched aboard the Transporter-16 mission. National Aeronautics and Space Administration ↗ (opens in new tab)
April
- Artemis II launches, first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years (spans to 2026-04-10) — NASA's Artemis II mission launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026, sending astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on a roughly 10-day journey that included a lunar flyby on April 6 before splashdown off San Diego on April 10. It was the first crewed mission to travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972. NASA ↗ (opens in new tab)
May
- Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus wins the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Angel Down, by Daniel Kraus the 2026 prize for Fiction. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Liberation, by Bess Wohl wins the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Liberation, by Bess Wohl the 2026 prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prizes ↗ (opens in new tab)
June
- Secure America Act becomes law — Public Law 119-98, the Secure America Act, was approved on June 10, 2026. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Supreme Court decides Trump v. Slaughter — The Court ruled in a case over presidential removal authority involving a Federal Trade Commission commissioner, concluding that the President may remove executive subordinates at will under the Court’s separation-of-powers analysis. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Supreme Court decides Trump v. Barbara on birthright citizenship — The Court held that children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are subject to U.S. jurisdiction and are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Supreme Court strikes down limits on coordinated party expenditures — In National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC, the Court held that federal limits on political parties’ coordinated expenditures violate the First Amendment. Supreme Court of the United States ↗ (opens in new tab)
July
- 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act becomes law — Public Law 119-101, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, was approved on July 11, 2026. GovInfo / U.S. Government Publishing Office ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Sen. Lindsey Graham dies while in office — South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham died on July 11, 2026 while serving in the Senate. U.S. Senate ↗ (opens in new tab)
- South Carolina governor appoints Darline Graham to U.S. Senate vacancy — Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to fill South Carolina’s U.S. Senate vacancy. The governor’s office said she would serve until January 3, 2027. Office of the Governor of South Carolina ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Darline Graham is sworn in as U.S. senator — Darline Graham was sworn in to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate on July 14, 2026. U.S. Senate - Office of Sen. Tim Scott ↗ (opens in new tab)
- Federal Reserve holds target rate at 3-1/2–3-3/4% — The Federal Open Market Committee kept its target for the federal funds rate at 3-1/2–3-3/4 percent. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ↗ (opens in new tab)
August
- South Carolina holds special Republican U.S. Senate primary — South Carolina held a special Republican primary on August 11, 2026 as part of the process to choose a nominee for the U.S. Senate special election. South Carolina Election Commission ↗ (opens in new tab)
- South Carolina holds special Republican U.S. Senate runoff — A runoff in the special Republican U.S. Senate nomination contest was held on August 25, 2026. The state election-results portal lists the official runoff results. South Carolina Election Commission ↗ (opens in new tab)
Date within this year unknown
- New York Knicks win the 2026 NBA championship — New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the NBA Finals to win the 2026 championship. Jalen Brunson 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)
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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