Gas Prices in 2005
inflation-adjusted (CPI-U)
How 2005 ranks in the 1970–2025 record
The 14th-most-expensive year on record — the 43rd-cheapest of 56 years.
The 19th-highest pump price on record — before adjusting for inflation.
How U.S. prices moved through 2005
Weekly U.S. average for regular gasoline. The year’s high was $3.07 the week of September 5, 2005; the low was $1.78 the week of January 3, 2005 — a swing of 72.6%.
| Month | At the pump | In 2025 $ | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2005 | $1.83 | $3.08 | 5 |
| Feb 2005 | $1.91 | $3.20 | 4 |
| Mar 2005 | $2.08 | $3.47 | 4 |
| Apr 2005 | $2.24 | $3.73 | 4 |
| May 2005 | $2.16 | $3.60 | 5 |
| Jun 2005 | $2.16 | $3.59 | 4 |
| Jul 2005 | $2.29 | $3.79 | 4 |
| Aug 2005 | $2.49 | $4.08 | 5 |
| Sep 2005 | $2.90 | $4.71 | 4 |
| Oct 2005 | $2.72 | $4.40 | 5 |
| Nov 2005 | $2.26 | $3.67 | 4 |
| Dec 2005 | $2.19 | $3.55 | 4 |
2005 vs. the years on either side
State gas prices in 2005
EIA weekly prices for 2005 are available for these states. Each link opens that state’s price history at 2005.
2005: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Gasoline averaged $2.27 in 2005, 41.8¢ above 2004 and 18.6% higher after inflation. Prices were already rising with crude oil in the first half of the year, from $1.78 in the week of January 3, the year’s low, to a monthly average of $2.29 in July.
Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29 and shut refineries, pipelines, and offshore production along the Gulf Coast; Hurricane Rita followed in late September. In the week of September 5 the national average rose 45.9¢ to $3.07, the year’s high and the first weekly figure above $3.00. The New York Harbor wholesale price reached $3.27 a gallon, nearly three times its low for the year. Because the damage was mainly to refining and pipeline capacity, gasoline rose much more than crude oil did.
The spike was short. Prices fell 16.9¢ in the week of September 19 and kept falling as refineries restarted; the December average was $2.19. The Federal Trade Commission later investigated post-Katrina pricing and found no evidence of market manipulation, though it identified some instances of price gouging under its definition.
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.
2005 Compared With Neighboring Years and States
The 2005 average of $2.27 sat between $1.85 in 2004 and $2.57 in 2006. The move into 2006 was a rise of 13.3% at the pump and 9.8% in constant 2025 dollars, smaller than the 22.6% rise at the pump from 2004 to 2005.
Over a longer span, the inflation-adjusted average rose 54.7% from 1995 to 2005. The 1995 average at the pump was $1.14, and that comparison crosses the 2000 change of basis. In nominal terms, 2005 ranks 19th-highest among the 56 complete years from 1970 to 2025, while in constant dollars it ranks 14th-highest. The highest inflation-adjusted annual average in the series is $5.08, recorded in 2012.
State figures from the EIA State Energy Data System, covering all grades, show a spread in 2005. Georgia was the cheapest state at $2.10, and Hawaii was the most expensive at $2.56, a difference of 46.6¢. Of 51 states, counting D.C., 28 of 51 had a 2005 average above the U.S. average on that basis.
The weekly series for 2005 holds 52 weeks of EIA data, and the gap between its highest and lowest weekly prices was $1.29.
U.S. gas prices in 2005, answered
- What was the average price of gas in 2005?
- The U.S. average price of regular gasoline in 2005 was $2.27 per gallon — about $3.75 in 2025 dollars after adjusting for inflation, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.
- How does 2005 rank for gas prices in U.S. history?
- Adjusted for inflation, 2005 was the 14th-most-expensive year for gasoline out of the 56 years on record (1970–2025). In raw at-the-pump dollars it ranks 19th.
- Were gas prices higher in 2005 than in 2004?
- Adjusted for inflation, regular gasoline was more expensive in 2005 than in 2004, up 18.6% year over year ($3.16 → $3.75 in 2025 dollars).
- How high did gas prices get during 2005?
- The U.S. weekly average for regular gasoline peaked at $3.07 the week of September 5, 2005 and bottomed at $1.78 the week of January 3, 2005 during 2005.
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 2005
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 in 2005,” usgasgauge.com/gas-prices/history/2005. Source data: U.S. Energy Information Administration.