Gas Prices in 2002
inflation-adjusted (CPI-U)
How 2002 ranks in the 1970–2025 record
The 54th-most-expensive year on record — the 3rd-cheapest of 56 years.
The 27th-highest pump price on record — before adjusting for inflation.
How U.S. prices moved through 2002
Weekly U.S. average for regular gasoline. The year’s high was $1.46 the week of October 21, 2002; the low was $1.10 the week of January 28, 2002 — a swing of 32.4%.
| Month | At the pump | In 2025 $ | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2002 | $1.11 | $2.01 | 4 |
| Feb 2002 | $1.11 | $2.02 | 4 |
| Mar 2002 | $1.25 | $2.25 | 4 |
| Apr 2002 | $1.40 | $2.51 | 5 |
| May 2002 | $1.39 | $2.50 | 4 |
| Jun 2002 | $1.38 | $2.48 | 4 |
| Jul 2002 | $1.40 | $2.50 | 5 |
| Aug 2002 | $1.40 | $2.49 | 4 |
| Sep 2002 | $1.40 | $2.49 | 5 |
| Oct 2002 | $1.45 | $2.57 | 4 |
| Nov 2002 | $1.42 | $2.52 | 4 |
| Dec 2002 | $1.39 | $2.46 | 5 |
2002 vs. the years on either side
State gas prices in 2002
EIA weekly prices for 2002 are available for these states. Each link opens that state’s price history at 2002.
2002: a low start and a steady climb
The 2002 average was $1.35, down 7.5¢ from 2001 and 6.8% lower in inflation-adjusted terms, which makes it the least expensive year in the weekly record after adjusting for inflation. The low came early: $1.10 in the week of January 28, carried over from the price collapse at the end of 2001.
From there prices rose for most of the year. The monthly average went from $1.11 in January to $1.40 in April and stayed near $1.40 through the summer, with no large spike. The biggest weekly increase was 7.9¢, in the week of March 11. The year’s high came in autumn rather than summer: $1.46 in the week of October 21. The year closed at $1.44, about 33¢ above where it started. In the wholesale market, the New York Harbor spot price averaged 73¢ a gallon, close to its 2001 level, while the pump price ended the year well above its January level, which set a higher starting point for 2003.
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.
How low 2002 ranks
Among all complete years from 1970 through 2025, 2002 ranks 54th by inflation-adjusted price, with only 1998 ($2.07) and 1999 ($2.23) cheaper in real terms; both of those come from the older all-grades series. In current dollars the year’s $1.35 ranks 27th.
The whole year sat below the level 2000 had reached. Even the most expensive week of 2002, $1.46 on October 21, 2002, was under the 2000 annual average of $1.48. It was also the start of a long climb: the annual average rose in each of the next five years, and by 2007 it was 107.9% above the 2002 level, more than double it, and 80.3% higher after inflation. Only 2001 has a cheaper week in the regular-grade record than the low of 2002, $1.10 on January 28, 2002.
In EIA’s all-grades estimates by state, Georgia again had the lowest price, $1.16, and Oklahoma the second-lowest, $1.24. At the other end, Alaska ($1.55) edged out Hawaii ($1.54) as the most expensive state, 22.5¢ above the national all-grades average of $1.33. Nevada, third at $1.45, was some way behind both.
Figures in this section are computed from U.S. Energy Information Administration data in the US Gas Gauge database.
2002 Against 2001, 2003 and 1992
Georgia's $1.16 and Alaska's $1.55 set the state range for 2002, a gap of 39.1¢ in the EIA State Energy Data System all-grades averages. Those state figures are annual averages for all grades, while the national $1.35 is the mean of EIA's weekly regular-grade prices.
Measured against the year before, 2002 started from a 2001 average of $1.42. The 2002 figure fell 5.3% at the pump from that level, and it fell 6.8% in constant 2025 dollars. The 2003 average of $1.56 then rose 16.1% at the pump from the 2002 figure, and rose 13.5% in constant 2025 dollars.
A ten-year look starts with 1992, when the average was $1.12 at the pump. In constant 2025 dollars, the 2002 average was 6.4% lower than the 1992 average, and that comparison crosses the 2000 change of basis.
The real-dollar ranking puts 2002 at 3rd-lowest among 56 complete years, from 1970 to 2025. At the other end of that ranking, the highest annual average in constant 2025 dollars was $5.08 in 2012, against $2.41 for 2002.
Within 2002 itself, EIA recorded 52 weeks of data. The gap between the weekly high of $1.46 and the weekly low of $1.10 was 35.7¢.
U.S. gas prices in 2002, answered
- What was the average price of gas in 2002?
- The U.S. average price of regular gasoline in 2002 was $1.35 per gallon — about $2.41 in 2025 dollars after adjusting for inflation, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.
- How does 2002 rank for gas prices in U.S. history?
- Adjusted for inflation, 2002 was the 54th-most-expensive year for gasoline out of the 56 years on record (1970–2025). In raw at-the-pump dollars it ranks 27th.
- Were gas prices higher in 2002 than in 2001?
- Adjusted for inflation, regular gasoline was cheaper in 2002 than in 2001, down 6.8% year over year ($2.58 → $2.41 in 2025 dollars).
- How high did gas prices get during 2002?
- The U.S. weekly average for regular gasoline peaked at $1.46 the week of October 21, 2002 and bottomed at $1.10 the week of January 28, 2002 during 2002.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Mean of EIA’s weekly U.S. regular prices. Constant 2025 dollars (CPI-U). How the figures are built.
More about 2002
Use this data
Download: U.S. national gas prices by year, 1970–present (CSV) · Weekly U.S. national gas prices, 2000–present (CSV).
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Cite as: US Gas Gauge, “Gas Prices in 2002,” usgasgauge.com/gas-prices/history/2002. Source data: U.S. Energy Information Administration.