High gas prices continue to make consumers grumble as politicians fight over a solution. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month injected a jolt of instability into the fuel market. The cost of a barrel of oil spiked in early March, leading to a rise in prices at the pump.
The high prices have some reminiscing about cheaper gas from their childhoods, though, like most memories, those of cheap gas are jaded, too. Gas has always been an unstable commodity, with fluctuating prices dating back to the 1940s.
Those fluctuations look less extreme when the prices are adjusted for inflation. Data from the last 80 years shows that gas prices have never been stable, but those sharp rises and falls are smoothed out when factoring in inflation. Check out the numbers below to see if you’re paying more today for gas than when you first started driving.
1940s
| Year | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 1940 | $0.16 | $3.12 |
| 1941 | $0.17 | $3.16 |
| 1942 | $0.18 | $3.01 |
| 1943 | $0.19 | $3.00 |
| 1944 | $0.19 | $2.95 |
| 1945 | $0.19 | $2.88 |
| 1946 | $0.19 | $2.66 |
| 1947 | $0.21 | $2.57 |
| 1948 | $0.24 | $2.72 |
| 1949 | $0.25 | $2.87 |
1950s
| Year | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 1950 | $0.25 | $2.83 |
| 1951 | $0.26 | $2.73 |
| 1952 | $0.26 | $2.68 |
| 1953 | $0.28 | $2.86 |
| 1954 | $0.28 | $2.84 |
| 1955 | $0.29 | $2.95 |
| 1956 | $0.30 | $3.01 |
| 1957 | $0.31 | $3.01 |
| 1958 | $0.31 | $2.93 |
| 1959 | $0.31 | $2.91 |
1960s
| Year | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 1960 | $0.32 | $2.95 |
| 1961 | $0.32 | $2.92 |
| 1962 | $0.32 | $2.89 |
| 1963 | $0.32 | $2.85 |
| 1964 | $0.32 | $2.82 |
| 1965 | $0.33 | $2.86 |
| 1966 | $0.34 | $2.86 |
| 1967 | $0.35 | $2.86 |
| 1968 | $0.35 | $2.75 |
| 1969 | $0.36 | $2.68 |
1970s
| Years | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 1970 | $0.36 | $2.53 |
| 1971 | $0.37 | $2.49 |
| 1972 | $0.37 | $2.42 |
| 1973 | $0.41 | $2.52 |
| 1974 | $0.55 | $3.05 |
| 1975 | $0.59 | $2.99 |
| 1976 | $0.61 | $2.93 |
| 1977 | $0.66 | $2.97 |
| 1978 | $0.67 | $2.81 |
| 1979 | $0.90 | $3.38 |
1980s
| Year | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 1980 | $1.25 | $4.14 |
| 1981 | $1.38 | $4.14 |
| 1982 | $1.30 | $3.68 |
| 1983 | $1.24 | $3.40 |
| 1984 | $1.21 | $3.18 |
| 1985 | $1.20 | $3.04 |
| 1986 | $0.93 | $2.32 |
| 1987 | $0.95 | $2.28 |
| 1988 | $0.95 | $2.19 |
| 1989 | $1.02 | $2.25 |
1990s
| Year | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 1990 | $1.16 | $2.42 |
| 1991 | $1.14 | $2.29 |
| 1992 | $1.13 | $2.20 |
| 1993 | $1.11 | $2.10 |
| 1994 | $1.11 | $2.04 |
| 1995 | $1.15 | $2.06 |
| 1996 | $1.23 | $2.14 |
| 1997 | $1.23 | $2.09 |
| 1998 | $1.06 | $1.78 |
| 1999 | $1.17 | $1.92 |
2000s
| Year | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 2000 | $1.51 | $2.39 |
| 2001 | $1.46 | $2.25 |
| 2002 | $1.36 | $2.06 |
| 2003 | $1.59 | $2.36 |
| 2004 | $1.88 | $2.72 |
| 2005 | $2.30 | $3.22 |
| 2006 | $2.59 | $3.51 |
| 2007 | $2.80 | $3.69 |
| 2008 | $3.37 | $4.15 |
| 2009 | $2.25 | $2.99 |
2010s
| Year | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 2010 | $2.79 | $3.49 |
| 2011 | $3.53 | $4.28 |
| 2012 | $3.64 | $4.33 |
| 2013 | $3.53 | $4.14 |
| 2014 | $3.37 | $3.89 |
| 2015 | $2.45 | $2.82 |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $2.43 |
| 2017 | $2.41 | $2.68 |
| 2018 | $2.74 | $2.98 |
| 2019 | $2.64 | $2.82 |
2020s
| Year | Actual Price | Price With Inflation |
| 2020 | $2.17 | $2.29 |
| 2021 | $2.83 | $2.83 |
