Gas Prices Under Barack Obama (2009–2017)
Under Barack Obama, the U.S. average price of regular gasoline went from $1.84 to $2.36 a gallon, averaged $2.97 and peaked at $3.97 (May 9, 2011).
January 26, 2009
January 16, 2017 · last week in office
Start to end
Mean over 417 weeks
Pump: May 9, 2011 · adj.: May 9, 2011
Pump: February 15, 2016 · adj.: February 15, 2016
Gas prices during Obama’s term
| Year | At the pump | In 2025 $ | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $2.39 | $3.58 | 49 |
| 2010 | $2.78 | $4.11 | 52 |
| 2011 | $3.52 | $5.04 | 52 |
| 2012 | $3.62 | $5.08 | 53 |
| 2013 | $3.51 | $4.85 | 52 |
| 2014 | $3.36 | $4.57 | 52 |
| 2015 | $2.43 | $3.30 | 52 |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $2.88 | 52 |
| 2017 | $2.37 | $3.14 | 3 |
Obama, 2009–2017: recovery, a 2011–2014 plateau and the 2014 collapse
The national average was $1.84 in the week of January 26, 2009, near the bottom of the 2008 collapse, and $2.36 in the week of January 16, 2017. Over the 417 weeks of Barack Obama’s two terms it averaged $2.97.
Prices rose with the economic recovery. In late February 2011 protests and fighting in Libya cut its crude exports by about 1.5 million barrels a day, and Brent crude averaged more than $100 a barrel for the year. The term high, $3.97, came in the week of May 9, 2011. On June 23, 2011, the Department of Energy announced the sale of 30.6 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of a coordinated international release. The annual average stayed above $3.50 a gallon in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
In the second half of 2014 crude oil fell sharply. U.S. crude production rose 1.2 million barrels a day in 2014, to its highest level in nearly 30 years, and Brent fell from $112 a barrel in June to $62 in December. Gasoline followed: the term low was $1.72 in the week of February 15, 2016, and 2016 as a whole had the lowest annual average since 2004. Prices recovered part of the decline during 2016. 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: prices and high/low weeks are EIA weekly retail data (regular, all formulations) from our database; other facts are from the sources listed here.
Start, End and Yearly Ranges
The first weekly reading of the term, for the week of January 26, 2009, was $1.84, or $2.79 in constant 2025 dollars. The last, for the week of January 16, 2017, was $2.36, or $3.12 in 2025 dollars. From the start to the end of the term the price rose 52.0¢ (28.3%) at the pump, and it rose 32.4¢ (11.6%) in constant 2025 dollars.
In 2010 the highest weekly price was $3.05, in the week of December 27, 2010, and the lowest was $2.61, in the week of February 15, 2010. The lowest weekly price in 2011 was $3.07, in the week of January 3, 2011. In 2012 the highest was $3.94 in the week of April 2, 2012, and the lowest was $3.25 in the week of December 17, 2012. In 2013 the highest was $3.78 in the week of February 25, 2013, and the lowest was $3.19 in the week of November 11, 2013.
The highest weekly price in 2014 was $3.71, in the week of April 28, 2014, and the lowest was $2.30, in the week of December 29, 2014. In 2015 the highest was $2.84 in the week of June 15, 2015, and the lowest was $2.03 in the week of December 21, 2015. The highest weekly price in 2016 was $2.40, in the week of June 13, 2016.
In constant 2025 dollars the term average was $4.17, and the highest weekly price in 2011 was $5.68.
Gas prices under Obama, answered
- What was the highest gas price under Barack Obama?
- Adjusted for inflation, the most expensive gasoline reached during Barack Obama's term was $5.68 per gallon in constant 2025 dollars (May 9, 2011). The highest at-the-pump price was $3.97 (May 9, 2011). Short-term peaks generally tracked moves in the global crude oil market.
- What did gas cost when Barack Obama took office?
- At the start of the term (January 26, 2009) the U.S. average for regular gasoline was $1.84 per gallon, or $2.79 in constant 2025 dollars.
- How much did gas prices change under Barack Obama?
- From the start of the term to its end (January 16, 2017), the pump price went from $1.84 to $2.36 a gallon — a change of +$0.52 (+28.3%). Adjusted for inflation it went from $2.79 to $3.12, +11.6%.
- Did gasoline get more or less expensive under Barack Obama?
- 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, weekly U.S. regular price (term boundaries: the week nearest Inauguration Day). 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 Barack Obama,” usgasgauge.com/gas-prices/by-president/obama. Source data: U.S. Energy Information Administration.