WASHINGTON, July 13 -
Highest gas price ever and the lowest 25-year low
The highest US national average regular gasoline price on record (nominal dollars) was $5.016 per gallon on 14 June 2022, per the EIA weekly retail survey. In real terms the record sits in June 2008 at $4.09 nominal, equivalent to about $5.95 in 2026 dollars. The lowest sustained 25-year low was April 2020 at $1.84. [EIA · 13 Jul 2026]
State all-time highs
California holds the most state-level all-time records. The Hawaii state average touched $5.55 in June 2022. Mississippi and Louisiana hold most all-time-low records.
What caused the extremes
- 1979-1980 Iran revolution spike (peak inflation-adjusted era).
- Aug 2005 Katrina: 11-cent overnight jump.
- Jun 2008: $147 crude peak.
- Apr 2020 COVID: WTI briefly traded negative; retail bottomed at $1.84.
- Jun 2022 Russia-Ukraine: nominal all-time peak $5.016.