Adjusted to September 2026 dollars with the BLS consumer price index, the highest annual average oil price in this 48-year table is 2008, not 1980 or 2022: $156 a barrel for WTI, $147 for the average US first purchase price, and 2011 for Brent at $167. 2025 was a middling year by that measure, $68 for WTI against a 1986 to 2025 median of $66, and 2026 through September has averaged $86 for WTI and $94 for Brent in September 2026 dollars. What 2026 changed was the frequency of triple-digit days.
It takes 3.7 September 2026 dollars to match the buying power of one dollar in 1981, which is why a nominal chart misleads. Brent was at or above $100 on 86 of the 203 trading days of 2026 through October 20, but a $100 barrel in 2026 is worth 36 percent less in real terms than a $100 barrel in 2008. The monthly CPI base is September 2026 (336.940, BLS release of October 14, 2026), the three EIA series are kept separate, and historical months are deflated with the annual average because the monthly download was blocked.
Forty-eight years in one table
The EIA publishes three annual crude series that together cover the full period. The US first purchase price starts long before 1978. The Cushing WTI spot price begins in 1986 and the Europe Brent spot price in 1987. Table 1 shows each as published and converted to September 2026 dollars. The multiplier column is the base CPI divided by the year’s CPI-U average, so a nominal price times the multiplier gives the real price.
Table 1. Crude oil prices by year, nominal and in September 2026 dollars, dollars per barrel
| Year | First purchase, nominal | WTI, nominal | Brent, nominal | Multiplier | First purchase, real | WTI, real | Brent, real |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 9.00 | n/a | n/a | 5.168 | 46.5 | n/a | n/a |
| 1979 | 12.64 | n/a | n/a | 4.641 | 58.7 | n/a | n/a |
| 1980 | 21.59 | n/a | n/a | 4.089 | 88.3 | n/a | n/a |
| 1981 | 31.77 | n/a | n/a | 3.707 | 117.8 | n/a | n/a |
| 1982 | 28.52 | n/a | n/a | 3.492 | 99.6 | n/a | n/a |
| 1983 | 26.19 | n/a | n/a | 3.383 | 88.6 | n/a | n/a |
| 1984 | 25.88 | n/a | n/a | 3.243 | 83.9 | n/a | n/a |
| 1985 | 24.09 | n/a | n/a | 3.131 | 75.4 | n/a | n/a |
| 1986 | 12.51 | 15.05 | n/a | 3.074 | 38.5 | 46.3 | n/a |
| 1987 | 15.40 | 19.20 | 18.53 | 2.966 | 45.7 | 56.9 | 55.0 |
| 1988 | 12.58 | 15.97 | 14.91 | 2.848 | 35.8 | 45.5 | 42.5 |
| 1989 | 15.86 | 19.64 | 18.23 | 2.717 | 43.1 | 53.4 | 49.5 |
| 1990 | 20.03 | 24.53 | 23.76 | 2.578 | 51.6 | 63.2 | 61.3 |
| 1991 | 16.54 | 21.54 | 20.04 | 2.474 | 40.9 | 53.3 | 49.6 |
| 1992 | 15.99 | 20.58 | 19.32 | 2.402 | 38.4 | 49.4 | 46.4 |
| 1993 | 14.25 | 18.43 | 17.01 | 2.332 | 33.2 | 43.0 | 39.7 |
| 1994 | 13.19 | 17.20 | 15.86 | 2.274 | 30.0 | 39.1 | 36.1 |
| 1995 | 14.62 | 18.43 | 17.02 | 2.211 | 32.3 | 40.7 | 37.6 |
| 1996 | 18.46 | 22.12 | 20.64 | 2.147 | 39.6 | 47.5 | 44.3 |
| 1997 | 17.23 | 20.61 | 19.11 | 2.099 | 36.2 | 43.3 | 40.1 |
| 1998 | 10.87 | 14.42 | 12.76 | 2.067 | 22.5 | 29.8 | 26.4 |
| 1999 | 15.56 | 19.34 | 17.90 | 2.022 | 31.5 | 39.1 | 36.2 |
| 2000 | 26.72 | 30.38 | 28.66 | 1.957 | 52.3 | 59.4 | 56.1 |
| 2001 | 21.84 | 25.98 | 24.46 | 1.903 | 41.6 | 49.4 | 46.5 |
| 2002 | 22.51 | 26.18 | 24.99 | 1.873 | 42.2 | 49.0 | 46.8 |
| 2003 | 27.56 | 31.08 | 28.85 | 1.831 | 50.5 | 56.9 | 52.8 |
| 2004 | 36.77 | 41.51 | 38.26 | 1.784 | 65.6 | 74.0 | 68.2 |
| 2005 | 50.28 | 56.64 | 54.57 | 1.725 | 86.7 | 97.7 | 94.1 |
| 2006 | 59.69 | 66.05 | 65.16 | 1.671 | 99.8 | 110.4 | 108.9 |
| 2007 | 66.52 | 72.34 | 72.44 | 1.625 | 108.1 | 117.6 | 117.7 |
| 2008 | 94.04 | 99.67 | 96.94 | 1.565 | 147.2 | 156.0 | 151.7 |
| 2009 | 56.35 | 61.95 | 61.74 | 1.571 | 88.5 | 97.3 | 97.0 |
| 2010 | 74.71 | 79.48 | 79.61 | 1.545 | 115.4 | 122.8 | 123.0 |
| 2011 | 95.73 | 94.88 | 111.26 | 1.498 | 143.4 | 142.1 | 166.7 |
| 2012 | 94.52 | 94.05 | 111.63 | 1.468 | 138.7 | 138.0 | 163.8 |
| 2013 | 95.99 | 97.98 | 108.56 | 1.446 | 138.8 | 141.7 | 157.0 |
| 2014 | 87.39 | 93.17 | 98.97 | 1.423 | 124.4 | 132.6 | 140.9 |
| 2015 | 44.39 | 48.66 | 52.32 | 1.422 | 63.1 | 69.2 | 74.4 |
| 2016 | 38.29 | 43.29 | 43.64 | 1.404 | 53.8 | 60.8 | 61.3 |
| 2017 | 48.05 | 50.80 | 54.13 | 1.375 | 66.0 | 69.8 | 74.4 |
| 2018 | 61.40 | 65.23 | 71.34 | 1.342 | 82.4 | 87.5 | 95.7 |
| 2019 | 55.59 | 57.00 | 64.30 | 1.318 | 73.3 | 75.1 | 84.7 |
| 2020 | 36.86 | 39.16 | 41.96 | 1.302 | 48.0 | 51.0 | 54.6 |
| 2021 | 65.84 | 68.13 | 70.86 | 1.243 | 81.9 | 84.7 | 88.1 |
| 2022 | 93.97 | 94.90 | 100.93 | 1.151 | 108.2 | 109.3 | 116.2 |
| 2023 | 76.10 | 77.58 | 82.49 | 1.106 | 84.2 | 85.8 | 91.2 |
| 2024 | 74.52 | 76.63 | 80.52 | 1.074 | 80.0 | 82.3 | 86.5 |
| 2025 | 63.41 | 65.39 | 69.14 | 1.047 | 66.4 | 68.4 | 72.4 |
Sources: EIA, U.S. Crude Oil First Purchase Price (F000000__3, annual), Cushing OK WTI Spot Price FOB (RWTC) and Europe Brent Spot Price FOB (RBRTE), annual averages, from the EIA petroleum bulk data file updated October 22, 2026, checked October 23, 2026; BLS CPI-U all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted (CUUR0000SA0), annual averages, with September 2026 = 336.940. Real prices and multipliers are this page’s arithmetic. WTI is not available before 1986 or Brent before 1987.
The first purchase price is below WTI and Brent in every year both exist, which is what a lease-level domestic average should show against delivered benchmark prices. The EIA defines it as the price reported by the company that owns the crude the first time it is removed from the lease boundary. Its value is coverage: it is the only series here that includes 1979 to 1985.
The ranking changes with the base year
Nominal rankings make the 2010s look like the high point of oil, and the 1980s look cheap. Table 2 reverses that for the top and bottom years in real terms.
Table 2. Highest and lowest annual average prices in September 2026 dollars, dollars per barrel
| Rank | Highest, first purchase (1978-2025) | Lowest, first purchase | Highest, WTI (1986-2025) | Lowest, WTI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008: $147.2 | 1998: $22.5 | 2008: $156.0 | 1998: $29.8 |
| 2 | 2011: $143.4 | 1994: $30.0 | 2011: $142.1 | 1994: $39.1 |
| 3 | 2013: $138.8 | 1999: $31.5 | 2013: $141.7 | 1999: $39.1 |
| 4 | 2012: $138.7 | 1995: $32.3 | 2012: $138.0 | 1995: $40.7 |
| 5 | 2014: $124.4 | 1993: $33.2 | 2014: $132.6 | 1993: $43.0 |
Source: Table 1, this page’s ranking. First purchase covers 48 years and WTI 40 years.
The first purchase price peaked in real terms in 2008 at $147.2, ahead of 2011 and 2013, and the highest of the 1979 to 1985 years was 1981 at $117.8. The much-quoted real peak of 1980 or 1981 depends on which CPI base and which price series one uses: on these EIA and BLS numbers the early 1980s peak is about four-fifths of the 2008 level, not above it. The cheapest year for WTI was 1998 at $29.8, which is roughly 56% below 2025. 2025 itself ranks 20th highest of the 40 WTI years in real terms.
The sequence 2011, 2012, 2013, 2008, 2014 for Brent is the unexpected one. Brent averaged $111.26 in 2011 against $96.94 in 2008, a nominal gap of $14that more than offset the 4 percent larger inflation multiplier of 2008, so in real terms Brent was higher in each of 2011, 2012 and 2013 than in 2008. That is why discussion of a “$100 oil era” fits 2011 to 2014 better than any other period in this table.
How large the swings were, then and now
Annual averages hide the speed of declines. Table 3 takes the largest peak-to-trough moves in the monthly EIA series for six episodes and shows each in the dollars of the day and in September 2026 dollars, using the annual CPI average of the peak and trough years.
Table 3. Peak-to-trough moves in monthly average crude prices, dollars per barrel
| Episode | Series | Peak month and price | Trough month and price | Nominal change | Real change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The early-1980s peak and the 1986 collapse | First purchase price | March 1981: $34.59 ($128 real) | July 1986: $9.25 ($28 real) | -73% | -78% |
| Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War | WTI | October 1990: $36.04 ($93 real) | March 1991: $19.90 ($49 real) | -45% | -47% |
| Global financial crisis | WTI | June 2008: $133.88 ($210 real) | February 2009: $39.09 ($61 real) | -71% | -71% |
| The 2014 to 2016 slide | WTI | June 2014: $105.79 ($151 real) | February 2016: $30.32 ($43 real) | -71% | -72% |
| The pandemic collapse | WTI | January 2020: $57.52 ($75 real) | April 2020: $16.55 ($22 real) | -71% | -71% |
| Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and after | Brent | June 2022: $122.71 ($141 real) | June 2023: $74.84 ($83 real) | -39% | -41% |
Source: EIA monthly series F000000__3, RWTC and RBRTE, checked October 23, 2026. Real values use the BLS annual-average CPI-U of the year of each month as in Table 1, so they differ slightly from values that use the monthly CPI. Peak and trough months are the highest and lowest monthly averages in the stated window. Percent changes are this page’s arithmetic. The episode names are labels for the dated moves, not statements of cause.
WTI fell 71% from its June 2008 monthly average to February 2009, 71% from June 2014 to February 2016, and 71% from January to April 2020: three collapses of the same size over eight, twenty and three months. Inflation barely changes these percentages, because the CPI moves little over a year or two. It matters for the levels: the $30.32 trough of February 2016 was about $43 in September 2026 dollars, and the 1986 first-purchase low of $9.25 was about $28.
Decade by decade
Averaging the real annual prices by decade turns forty years of noise into five numbers. Table 4 shows the mean and the range of real annual WTI and first purchase prices.
Table 4. Real annual average prices by period, September 2026 dollars per barrel
| Period | Years | WTI mean | WTI range | First purchase mean | First purchase range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 to 1985 | 8 | n/a | n/a | $82 | $47 to $118 |
| 1986 to 1989 | 4 | $51 | $45 to $57 | $41 | $36 to $46 |
| 1990s | 10 | $45 | $30 to $63 | $36 | $22 to $52 |
| 2000s | 10 | $87 | $49 to $156 | $78 | $42 to $147 |
| 2010s | 10 | $104 | $61 to $142 | $100 | $54 to $143 |
| 2020 to 2025 | 6 | $80 | $51 to $109 | $78 | $48 to $108 |
Source: Table 1, this page’s arithmetic; WTI means for 1986-89 cover four years and the 1978-85 row has no WTI. Means are simple averages of annual averages.
The pattern is a long trough and a high plateau. The 1990s were the cheapest decade in real terms, at a WTI mean of $45, and the 2010s the dearest, at $104. The 2020 to 2025 mean of $80 is below the 2000s mean of $87 and 23% below the 2010s. A reader who remembers $100 oil as the norm is remembering 2010 to 2014, the five consecutive years in the table with real WTI above $120. Before 1986 the table can only speak through the first purchase price, whose 1980 to 1985 mean of $92 was higher than any decade average that followed except the 2010s.
How far apart the three series sit
Three prices for the same commodity differ for reasons the table can show. The CPI-U base is the all-items national index and not a petroleum deflator, and 2026 is an incomplete year whose nine-month mean will change with each month added. The negative WTI price of April 2020, published by the EIA from Refinitiv, is a published value and not an error; the contango and backwardation guide explains that episode. The first purchase price is measured at the lease and the WTI price at the Cushing storage hub, so the difference between them is transport and quality adjustments in a loose sense. Brent is priced for North Sea crude loaded on ships, and its premium or discount to WTI reflects the pipeline and export conditions the WTI versus Brent guide covers. Table 5 averages both gaps by period.
Table 5. Average gaps between the three annual price series, dollars per barrel (nominal)
| Period | WTI minus first purchase | As share of WTI | Brent minus WTI | Years with Brent more than $5 above WTI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 to 1989 | $3.38 | 19.3% | -$1.05 | none |
| 1990s | $4.05 | 20.8% | -$1.38 | none |
| 2000s | $4.95 | 10.8% | -$1.57 | none |
| 2010s | $2.85 | 4.7% | +$7.12 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019 |
| 2020 to 2025 | $1.85 | 3.0% | +$4.02 | 2022 |
Source: Table 1, this page’s arithmetic on the EIA annual series. Simple averages of annual gaps; Brent begins in 1987, so the 1986 to 1989 row averages three Brent years.
The WTI premium over the first purchase price has shrunk from about a fifth of the WTI price in 1986 to 1999 to 3 percent in 2020 to 2025, so the long first-purchase history is a rougher stand-in for WTI in the 1980s and 1990s than it is now. The Brent row changes sign. Through the 2000s Brent averaged between $1.05 and $1.57 below WTI; in the 2010s it averaged $7.12 above, with a premium of more than $5 in 2011 to 2014, 2018 and 2019, and in 2022 in the current period. That shift is why the Brent column of Table 1 looks different from the WTI column after 2010, and why this page keeps both.
What $100 meant
Headlines anchor on a nominal $100 as if it were a constant. Table 6 converts the threshold in both directions.
Table 6. What $100 was worth in different years, in September 2026 dollars, and what $100 today equals in each year’s dollars
| Year | CPI-U annual average | $100 in that year, in September 2026 dollars | $100 today, in that year’s dollars | Real WTI in that year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 90.9 | $371 | $27 | n/a |
| 1990 | 130.7 | $258 | $39 | $63 |
| 2000 | 172.2 | $196 | $51 | $59 |
| 2008 | 215.3 | $156 | $64 | $156 |
| 2014 | 236.7 | $142 | $70 | $133 |
| 2022 | 292.7 | $115 | $87 | $109 |
Source: BLS CPI-U annual averages (September 2026 = 336.940); EIA WTI annual average; this page’s arithmetic. WTI is not in the EIA data for 1981.
A $100 barrel in 2008 was worth $156 in September 2026 dollars, and a $100 barrel today equals $64 in 2008 dollars. The 2008 WTI average of $99.67 therefore equals $156 now, while the January to September 2026 WTI average of $85 is $86 in the same dollars. A $100 barrel in 2026 is worth 36% less in real terms than a $100 barrel in 2008, and 30% less than one in 2014. Across 2026 the headline level has been high, but the real level has not matched 2008 or 2011 to 2014.
Days above $100
The nominal $100 line has taken on a life of its own in headlines, so Table 7 counts it. The EIA’s daily spot series lets us count trading days at or above $100 for each year it happened.
Table 7. Trading days at or above $100 a barrel in the EIA daily spot series
| Year | Trading days in data | Brent days at or above $100 | Share of the year | WTI days at or above $100 | Brent high for the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 253 | 133 | 53% | 146 | $143.95 on July 3 |
| 2011 | 248 | 224 | 90% | 63 | $126.64 on May 2 |
| 2012 | 250 | 224 | 90% | 67 | $128.14 on March 13 |
| 2013 | 252 | 243 | 96% | 76 | $118.90 on February 8 |
| 2014 | 251 | 169 | 67% | 106 | $115.19 on June 19 |
| 2022 | 250 | 115 | 46% | 87 | $133.18 on March 8 |
| 2026 (through October 20) | 203 | 86 | 42% | 35 | $138.21 on April 7 |
Source: EIA, Europe Brent Spot Price FOB (RBRTE) and Cushing WTI Spot Price FOB (RWTC), daily, through October 20, 2026, checked October 23, 2026. Counts and shares are this page’s tallies. No other year in the series has a day at or above $100 for either benchmark.
Brent spot was at or above $100 on 1,194 days across these seven years, and 86 of them have come in 2026. That is 42% of the year to date, below 2011 to 2013 (90 to 96 percent of days) but well above 2022 (46 percent). WTI traded above $100 on far fewer days than Brent in 2011 to 2013 and on more days in 2008. The 2026 pattern resembles 2011 to 2013: 86 days for Brent against 35 for WTI, the Brent premium that the WTI versus Brent guide explains.
Where 2026 sits
The 2026 months can be put in real terms using the monthly CPI-U rather than annual averages. Table 8 lists them, each deflated to September 2026 dollars, which is also the latest CPI month.
Table 8. WTI and Brent monthly averages in 2026, nominal and in September 2026 dollars, dollars per barrel
| Month | WTI, nominal | Brent, nominal | WTI, real | Brent, real |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60.04 | 66.60 | 62.20 | 68.99 |
| February | 64.51 | 70.89 | 66.51 | 73.09 |
| March | 91.38 | 103.13 | 93.24 | 105.23 |
| April | 100.32 | 117.29 | 101.50 | 118.67 |
| May | 102.13 | 107.14 | 102.68 | 107.72 |
| June | 84.81 | 85.40 | 85.57 | 86.16 |
| July | 80.46 | 83.76 | 81.19 | 84.52 |
| August | 83.90 | 91.08 | 84.39 | 91.61 |
| September | 97.31 | 114.16 | 97.31 | 114.16 |
| January to September mean | 84.98 | 93.27 | 86.07 | 94.46 |
Sources: EIA monthly WTI (RWTC) and Brent (RBRTE) spot prices; BLS CPI-U monthly (CUUR0000SA0), the same 2026 monthly values used in the gasoline price history guide, checked October 23, 2026. Real prices are this page’s arithmetic.
The highest 2026 month for Brent was April at $117.29 nominal, $119 in September 2026 dollars, compared with July 2008 at $132.72 nominal and $203 real, using the July 2008 CPI-U of 219.964. The 2026 year-to-date mean of $94 for Brent is 62% of the 2008 annual average in real terms. In dollars of the day, the April 7 high of $138.21 is the highest daily Brent price since July 14, 2008 ($142.43); it compares with $133.18 on March 8, 2022 and $143.95 on July 3, 2008. The causes of the 2026 move are in the Hormuz flows guide. What this page can add is scale: matching the July 2008 daily high in real terms would have needed Brent near $221 a barrel in 2026, and it did not get there.
What a barrel of crude is worth in a gallon of gasoline
A barrel holds 42 gallons, so a crude price divided by 42 is the crude cost of one gallon of product, before refining yield and margins. Dividing that by the retail price of regular gasoline gives a rough crude share of the pump price, which moves in the direction the EIA’s gasoline price breakdown describes, but is not the same calculation because it ignores refining and distribution costs and uses annual averages.
Table 9. WTI per gallon as a share of the retail price of regular gasoline
| Period | WTI, $/bbl | WTI per gallon | US regular retail, $/gal | Crude share of retail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 14.42 | $0.343 | $1.030 | 33% |
| 2003 | 31.08 | $0.740 | $1.561 | 47% |
| 2008 | 99.67 | $2.373 | $3.246 | 73% |
| 2012 | 94.05 | $2.239 | $3.618 | 62% |
| 2016 | 43.29 | $1.031 | $2.143 | 48% |
| 2020 | 39.16 | $0.932 | $2.168 | 43% |
| 2022 | 94.90 | $2.260 | $3.951 | 57% |
| 2025 | 65.39 | $1.557 | $3.097 | 50% |
| February 2026 | 64.51 | $1.536 | $2.908 | 53% |
| April 2026 | 100.32 | $2.389 | $4.103 | 58% |
| September 2026 | 97.31 | $2.317 | $4.355 | 53% |
Sources: EIA WTI spot (RWTC, annual and monthly) and U.S. regular all formulations retail gasoline (EMM_EPMR_PTE_NUS_DPG, annual and monthly), checked October 23, 2026. WTI per gallon is the barrel price divided by 42; the share is this page’s proxy, not the EIA’s gasoline price composition.
The share was 33% in 1998 and 73% in 2008, and sat near 62% in 2012. In February 2026 it was 53% and in April, at the 2026 monthly peak of crude, 58%. A higher crude share means pump prices follow crude more closely; a lower share means taxes and margins buffer it. The pump-price layers are broken out in the gasoline price breakdown guide and the inflation-adjusted pump price series is in the gas prices by year guide.
Oil price history questions
What was the highest oil price in history adjusted for inflation?
On annual averages in September 2026 dollars, 2008 for WTI ($156) and for the US first purchase price ($147), and 2011 for Brent ($167). On single days, July 3, 2008 is the highest in the EIA daily series, at $143.95 for Brent and $145.31 for WTI, about $220 and $223 in September 2026 dollars using the July 2008 CPI-U.
Is oil more expensive in 2026 than in 2008 in real terms?
No, on the data to date. The 2026 monthly peak so far was April, when Brent averaged $117.29, about $119 in September 2026 dollars, against $132.72 in July 2008, about $203. The 2026 daily high of $138.21 on April 7 is $140 in September 2026 dollars, against $220 for the July 3, 2008 high.
What was the cheapest oil has been in real terms?
For WTI, the annual low in real terms since 1986 is 1998 at $29.80 in September 2026 dollars ($14.42 nominal). The lowest daily price in the EIA series was a negative $36.98 on April 20, 2020 for WTI, a one-day dislocation tied to expiring futures contracts, and the lowest Brent price was $9.10 on December 10, 1998.
How many days has Brent traded above $100?
In the EIA daily series, which starts in 1987, Brent spot closed at or above $100 on 133 days in 2008, 224 in 2011, 224 in 2012, 243 in 2013, 169 in 2014, 115 in 2022 and 86 of the 203 trading days of 2026 through October 20. The nominal $100 threshold is easier to reach now than in 2008 because of inflation.
Why use September 2026 dollars?
Because it is the latest month of the BLS CPI-U that was published when this page was written. Each annual price is multiplied by 336.94 divided by that year’s CPI-U average. Choosing a different base month rescales every real price by the same factor and does not change any ranking.
What is the first purchase price, and why is it in the table?
The EIA defines it as the price for domestic crude reported by the company that owns the crude the first time it leaves the lease. It is the only EIA crude price series that covers all of 1978 to 2025, and it lets the table show the 1979 to 1981 prices, which predate the WTI and Brent series in the EIA data.
How much of a gallon of gasoline is crude oil?
On a simple proxy of WTI per gallon against the EIA regular retail price, about 53 percent in September 2026 ($2.32 of $4.36), 58 percent at the April 2026 crude peak, 50 percent in 2025, 73 percent in 2008 and 33 percent in 1998. A barrel holds 42 gallons, and the proxy ignores refining yield, margins and taxes, so it is not the EIA’s gasoline price composition.
Data and sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Spot Prices (Cushing WTI RWTC and Europe Brent RBRTE; annual, monthly and daily; spot prices from Refinitiv, an LSEG business), U.S. Crude Oil First Purchase Price (F000000__3), and U.S. regular retail gasoline prices (EMM_EPMR_PTE_NUS_DPG), from the EIA petroleum bulk data file updated October 22, 2026, checked October 23, 2026. EIA, Glossary: first purchase price, checked October 23, 2026. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, CPI-U all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted (CUUR0000SA0), annual averages and 2026 monthly values as used in the gasoline price history guide on this site. A direct download of the BLS monthly series was blocked on October 23, 2026, so historical months are deflated with the annual average of their year. Real prices, rankings, counts, multipliers and shares are this page’s arithmetic.