How did average gasoline prices compare under Barack Obama 2009-2017 and George W. Bush 2001-2009?

1. Big-picture comparison: average numbers and the main finding

The simplest, data-driven comparison reported by Snopes and PolitiFact: the eight years under Bush averaged about $2.13 per gallon while the eight years under Obama averaged about $2.96 per gallon ^{[1] [2]}. Multiple outlets reach the same basic conclusion: on average, retail gasoline cost more during Obama’s presidency than during Bush’s ^{[3] [5]}.

2. Don’t let the averages hide the volatility

Averages conceal major swings. Gas hit record highs in mid‑2008 — above $4/gal nationally — during Bush’s second term and then plunged as the 2008 financial crisis collapsed demand, leaving prices very low just as Obama took office in January 2009 ^{[3] [6]}. Obama’s term included both higher peaks (prices spiked again in some years) and deep troughs influenced by global supply shifts, so the arithmetic mean is not the whole story ^{[4] [5]}.

3. Drivers of prices: markets, not a single White House policy

Analysts cited by Forbes, PolitiFact and others emphasize that global oil markets, demand shocks, and supply decisions (Saudi pricing, the 2008 recession, the U.S. shale/fracking boom) explain most of the movement in pump prices — not day‑to‑day presidential acts ^{[4] [7] [6]}. For example, the collapse of oil demand in 2008 and later strategic decisions by OPEC/Saudi Arabia produced dramatic swings that coincided with both presidencies ^{[4] [7]}.

4. Policy effects are longer-term and contested

Some commentators argue that policies can have long‑run effects: the technologies and policy environment around fracking developed across the Bush and Obama years and helped increase U.S. production later in the 2010s, which fed into lower prices after 2014 ^[7]. Others and fact‑checkers caution that linking short‑term price moves directly to a sitting president overstates presidential control and ignores global factors ^{[8] [6]}.

5. Media and political framing shaped public impressions

Coverage and partisanship shaped how the public remembered pump pain. Studies and media critiques show much heavier linkage of gas prices to Bush by networks in 2008 versus mentions of Obama in similar price episodes, illustrating asymmetric media framing that can affect political fallout ^{[9] [10]}. Polling also shows that perceptions of presidential ability to control prices vary sharply by party ^[8].

6. What the fact‑checks emphasize: numbers matter, context matters more

PolitiFact, Snopes and AP all stress that single snapshots or viral images (high local station prices, or mislabeled charts) mislead; national EIA averages over full terms give a clearer comparison ^{[2] [1] [11]}. Those sources conclude: yes, on average gas cost more under Obama than under Bush, but the timing of spikes and crashes was driven largely by market events beyond direct presidential control ^{[2] [1] [6]}.

7. Caveats and limits of available reporting

Available sources do not provide every possible breakdown (e.g., inflation‑adjusted decade averages or state‑by‑state medians) in the excerpts supplied here; the sources cited rely on EIA national retail averages and journalistic analysis ^{[1] [4]}. Where sources disagree, the dispute is over attribution (how much credit or blame a president deserves) rather than the basic arithmetic of average prices ^{[5] [6]}.

8. Bottom line for readers

The authoritative reporting assembled by fact‑checkers shows the headline truth: average retail gasoline prices were lower across Bush’s eight years than across Obama’s eight years (about $2.13 vs. $2.96 per gallon as cited) — but that comparator does not establish causation. Global market shocks (2008 crash), OPEC decisions, and the growing U.S. shale boom explain most of the movement, while media framing and partisan views shaped political narratives around those price swings ^{[1] [4] [8]}.