Gas Prices Under Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
Under Bill Clinton, the U.S. average price of gasoline (all grades) went from $1.10 to $1.48 a gallon, averaged $1.19 and peaked at $1.48 (2000).
1993
2000 · last full year in office
Start to end
Mean over 8 years
Pump: 2000 · adj.: 2000
Pump: 1998 · adj.: 1998
Gas prices during Clinton’s term
One point per year before 2000.
| Year | At the pump | In 2025 $ |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | $1.10 | $2.46 |
| 1994 | $1.12 | $2.43 |
| 1995 | $1.15 | $2.42 |
| 1996 | $1.22 | $2.51 |
| 1997 | $1.22 | $2.45 |
| 1998 | $1.05 | $2.07 |
| 1999 | $1.15 | $2.23 |
| 2000 | $1.48 | $2.78 |
Clinton, 1993–2001: a 4.3¢ tax increase, low 1990s crude and a 2000 rise
In both EIA annual retail series the U.S. average changed little from 1993 through 1995, rose in 1996, held near that level in 1997, and fell in 1998 to the lowest annual level of Bill Clinton’s term, when Asian oil demand slowed sharply and crude prices were historically low. On March 23, 1999, OPEC members agreed to further production cuts, and prices rose in 1999 and 2000. The site’s weekly series begins in January 2000: the national average was $1.26 in the week of January 10, 2000, reached $1.68 in the week of June 19, and stood at $1.47 in the week of January 15, 2001, the last reading of the term.
The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, signed August 10, 1993, raised the federal gasoline tax by 4.3¢ to 18.4¢ a gallon, the rate still in effect. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 moved that 4.3¢ from the general fund to the Highway Trust Fund without changing the rate. The reformulated gasoline program required by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments began its first phase in 1995 and its second in 2000, changing the fuel sold in the areas it covers. Presidents have limited control over pump prices, which follow crude oil, refining and tax conditions; the site’s explainer sets out what a president can and cannot change.
Sources: movements before 2000 compare the EIA State Energy Data System annual average in our database with the EIA Monthly Energy Review retail series, and figures from 2000 on are EIA weekly retail data from our database; other facts are from the sources listed here.
Clinton Term Prices in Constant Dollars
Bill Clinton's term ran from January 20, 1993, to January 20, 2001, and covers 8 calendar years of data. The annual average for all grades was $1.10 in 1993 and $1.48 in 2000, the last calendar year counted for the term. From 1993 to 2000 the average rose 38.0¢ (34.4%) at the pump.
In constant 2025 dollars (CPI-U), the 1993 average was $2.46 and the 2000 average was $2.78, a rise of 31.4¢ (12.8%). The $2.78 figure for 2000 was also the highest of the term in those dollars.
At the pump, the term's own lowest annual average was $1.05 in 1998 and its highest was $1.48 in 2000. The other annual averages were $1.12 in 1994, $1.14 in 1995, $1.22 in both 1996 and 1997, and $1.15 in 1999. Across the term the average was $1.19 at the pump and $2.42 in constant 2025 dollars. The successor's inauguration year belongs to the successor, so 2001 is not part of this term's figures.
Gas prices under Clinton, answered
- What was the highest gas price under Bill Clinton?
- Adjusted for inflation, the most expensive gasoline reached during Bill Clinton's term was $2.78 per gallon in constant 2025 dollars (2000). The highest at-the-pump price was $1.48 (2000). Short-term peaks generally tracked moves in the global crude oil market.
- What did gas cost when Bill Clinton took office?
- At the start of the term (1993) the U.S. average for gasoline (all grades) was $1.10 per gallon, or $2.46 in constant 2025 dollars.
- How much did gas prices change under Bill Clinton?
- From the start of the term to its end (2000), the pump price went from $1.10 to $1.48 a gallon — a change of +$0.38 (+34.4%). Adjusted for inflation it went from $2.46 to $2.78, +12.8%.
- Did gasoline get more or less expensive under Bill Clinton?
- In inflation-adjusted terms the average price rose over the term (at the pump it rose). This reflects what prices were during the term and is not a measure of any president's policies — gasoline prices are driven mainly by global oil markets, which moved for reasons largely outside any president's control.
Source: EIA, annual U.S. average, all grades (calendar-year boundaries before 2000). Constant 2025 dollars (CPI-U). Party is listed as a matter of record; the page attributes no price change to any president or policy (see whether the President controls gas prices). How these figures are built.
Years in this term
Use this data
Download: U.S. national gas prices by year, 1970–present (CSV) · Weekly U.S. national gas prices, 2000–present (CSV).
Column definitions, coverage and every file: gas price data. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit.
Cite as: US Gas Gauge, “Gas Prices Under Bill Clinton,” usgasgauge.com/gas-prices/by-president/clinton. Source data: U.S. Energy Information Administration.