What was the average price of gas in 2009?

The U.S. average price of regular gasoline in 2009 was $2.35 per gallon — about $3.53 in 2025 dollars after adjusting for inflation, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.

How does 2009 rank for gas prices in U.S. history?

Adjusted for inflation, 2009 was the 18th-most-expensive year for gasoline out of the 56 years on record (1970–2025). In raw at-the-pump dollars it ranks 18th.

Were gas prices higher in 2009 than in 2008?

Adjusted for inflation, regular gasoline was cheaper in 2009 than in 2008, down 27.3% year over year ($4.86 → $3.53 in 2025 dollars).

How high did gas prices get during 2009?

The U.S. weekly average for regular gasoline peaked at $2.69 the week of November 2, 2009 and bottomed at $1.68 the week of January 5, 2009 during 2009.

Gas Prices in 2009

U.S. average · that year

$2.35

regular, at the pump in 2009

−27.5% vs. 2008 ($3.25)

In 2025 dollars

$3.53

inflation-adjusted (CPI-U)

Where it stands

How 2009 ranks in the 1970–2025 record

Adjusted for inflation

The 18th-most-expensive year on record — the 39th-cheapest of 56 years.

At the pump (nominal)

The 18th-highest pump price on record — before adjusting for inflation.

Across the year

How U.S. prices moved through 2009

Weekly U.S. average for regular gasoline. The year’s high was $2.69 the week of November 2, 2009; the low was $1.68 the week of January 5, 2009 — a swing of 60.0%.

Weekly · 2009

U.S. regular gasoline in 2009 by month: the average of each month’s weekly prices
Month	At the pump	In 2025 $	Weeks
Jan 2009	$1.79	$2.72	4
Feb 2009	$1.92	$2.91	4
Mar 2009	$1.96	$2.97	5
Apr 2009	$2.05	$3.10	4
May 2009	$2.27	$3.43	4
Jun 2009	$2.63	$3.95	5
Jul 2009	$2.53	$3.79	4
Aug 2009	$2.62	$3.91	5
Sep 2009	$2.55	$3.81	4
Oct 2009	$2.55	$3.80	4
Nov 2009	$2.65	$3.93	5
Dec 2009	$2.61	$3.86	4

Year over year

2009 vs. the years on either side

vs. prior year · 2008

−27.3%

adjusted for inflation · −27.5% at the pump

2008 averaged $3.25 ($4.86 in 2025 $)

Following year’s change · 2010

+16.3%

adjusted for inflation · +18.2% at the pump

2010 averaged $2.78 ($4.11 in 2025 $)

By state

State gas prices in 2009

EIA weekly prices for 2009 are available for these states. Each link opens that state’s price history at 2009.

The year in context

2009: recession, then recovery from the December 2008 low

Gasoline averaged $2.35 in 2009, 89.3¢ less than in 2008. In inflation-adjusted terms the decline was 27.3%, one of the two largest annual drops in the weekly series (the other is 2015). The annual average was low because the year started low: the first week, January 5, was $1.68, the year’s low, just above the December 2008 bottom.

The recession that began in December 2007 ended in June 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, and crude oil prices recovered through the year from their early-2009 levels. Pump prices followed. The monthly average rose from $1.79 in January to $2.63 in June, including a 16.2¢ weekly increase in the week of May 11, the year’s largest. Prices then held in a narrow range between about $2.50 and $2.70 for the rest of the year. The high, $2.69, came in the week of November 2, and the year ended at $2.61, 92¢ above where it began. The New York Harbor wholesale price averaged $1.67 a gallon, down from $2.45 in 2008.

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.

In the record

2009 Compared With Its Neighbouring Years

The 2008 annual average was $3.25, and 2009 came in at $2.35 at the pump. In constant 2025 dollars the change from 2008 to 2009 was a fall of 27.3%, against a fall of 27.5% unadjusted. In 2010 the average was $2.78, an increase of 18.2% at the pump and 16.3% in constant 2025 dollars.

Over a longer span, the 1999 average was $1.15 at the pump. In constant 2025 dollars, the change from 1999 to 2009 was an increase of 58.3%, a span that crosses the 2000 change of basis. The highest annual average in constant 2025 dollars across the series was $5.08, in 2012. Among the 56 complete years from 1970 to 2025, 2009 sits 18th-highest in both measures, at the pump and in constant dollars.

State figures for 2009 come from the EIA State Energy Data System and cover all grades. Georgia was the cheapest state at $2.11, and Alaska the most expensive at $2.82, a gap of 71.4¢. Of the 51 states, counting D.C., 27 of 51 had a 2009 average above the U.S. average on that basis.

The 2009 national series contains 52 weeks of EIA data. The weekly high and low differ by $1.01.

Common questions

U.S. gas prices in 2009, answered

What was the average price of gas in 2009?: The U.S. average price of regular gasoline in 2009 was $2.35 per gallon — about $3.53 in 2025 dollars after adjusting for inflation, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.
How does 2009 rank for gas prices in U.S. history?: Adjusted for inflation, 2009 was the 18th-most-expensive year for gasoline out of the 56 years on record (1970–2025). In raw at-the-pump dollars it ranks 18th.
Were gas prices higher in 2009 than in 2008?: Adjusted for inflation, regular gasoline was cheaper in 2009 than in 2008, down 27.3% year over year ($4.86 → $3.53 in 2025 dollars).
How high did gas prices get during 2009?: The U.S. weekly average for regular gasoline peaked at $2.69 the week of November 2, 2009 and bottomed at $1.68 the week of January 5, 2009 during 2009.

Interactive

See 2009 on the birth-year slider →

Drag through the whole 1970–2025 history.

This week

Today’s gas prices by state →

The live national map and the full 51-state ranking.

← U.S. gas prices by year since 1970 ← The full U.S. gas price history since 1970

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.