Retail gasoline price, regular

The national average pump price for a gallon of regular gasoline, taxes included.

What it measures

The retail price of regular-grade gasoline, all formulations, averaged across the country in nominal dollars — the dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.

How it is measured

A weekly survey of about 900 retail outlets by the Energy Information Administration, priced as of Monday.

Reading it over a presidential term

Coverage starts in August 1990, so earlier terms have no value at all. It is not seasonally adjusted — summer driving season runs above winter — and it is not inflation-adjusted, so a straight comparison across decades counts general inflation as a gasoline story.

What it leaves out

Most of the price is crude oil, set in a world market, plus refining margins and federal, state, and local taxes that vary widely by state. A national average hides that spread.

Which direction counts as better?

Cheap fuel lowers the cost of driving and of everything that moves by truck; dearer fuel is what a reader who weighs emissions or oil dependence may prefer. The site does not choose.

Chart this series · See it by president · Download the data · The source at FRED