WHAT WAS THE GAS PRICE IN CALIFORNIA DURING TRUMP'S FIRST TERM?
Executive summary
California retail gasoline averaged well above the U.S. norm during Donald Trump’s first term (2017–2020); official weekly and monthly price series from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) record those state prices and are the primary source for exact figures [1] [2] [3]. Detailed weekly California regular gasoline prices are available from the EIA’s “Weekly California Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices” dataset [2].
1. What the official data source is and why it matters
The authoritative public datasets for state-level pump prices are produced by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA hosts both a monthly California “All Grades All Formulations” retail gasoline price series and a weekly “Regular All Formulations” series that let researchers track prices through Trump’s first term (2017–2020) with high temporal resolution [1] [2] [3]. Use those series when you need consistent, government-sourced price history [1] [2].
2. How to read the series for Trump’s first term (2017–2020)
Trump’s first term spans January 2017 through January 2021. The EIA’s weekly series gives fine-grained snapshots of retail pump prices in California across that period; the monthly/all-grades series smooths weekly volatility into month averages [2] [1]. For precise numbers at particular weeks or months in 2017–2020 consult the EIA pages directly, which publish prices in dollars per gallon for every week and month [2] [1].
3. What the headline trends were during 2017–2020
Available EIA data show California prices stayed higher than the U.S. average throughout the period, driven by state-specific factors such as an isolated fuel market and refinery outages that can sustain price spikes longer than in other states [2] [4]. The California Energy Commission emphasizes that global crude costs and unplanned refinery outages are primary drivers of California gasoline price volatility [4]. The state’s isolation from nearby refining capacity and specialized fuel blends elevate and prolong price moves relative to the national average [4].
4. Causes behind higher California prices—multiple perspectives
Official state analysis points to structural market features—California’s isolated refining and distribution network and special CARB fuel requirements—that raise average prices and extend spikes following outages [4]. Other reporting and state oversight have also highlighted industry margins and distribution/retail practices as contributors, and some watchdog reports describe a so‑called “mystery surcharge” averaging tens of cents per gallon over multi‑year spans—an interpretation disputed by industry and others who blame taxes, regulation and refinery closures [5]. Sources disagree on the relative weight of market structure versus alleged excess margins; both explanations appear in the available reporting [4] [5].
5. Example: how to extract precise numbers yourself
To answer “what was the gas price” for a specific date within Trump’s first term, open the EIA weekly dataset “Weekly California Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices” for weekly dollar‑per‑gallon values, or the monthly “All Grades” series for month averages [2] [1]. Those pages provide downloadable tables so you can pull the exact price for any week or month in 2017–2020 [2] [1].
6. Limits and what the sources do not tell us
The provided search results point you to the primary EIA datasets and state analyses, but they do not themselves print the single consolidated number for “average price during Trump’s first term” in the snippets shown; you must extract and compute that average from the EIA tables [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention a single precomputed Trump‑term average price in the snippets provided; you will need to download the EIA weekly/monthly series to calculate any term average [2] [1].
7. Bottom line for readers
If you want an exact dollar figure for California gasoline during Trump’s first term, use the EIA’s weekly or monthly California retail gasoline series and compute the average for January 2017–January 2021; the EIA pages linked are the definitive public sources for that data [2] [1] [3]. Context matters: California’s prices were consistently above national averages because of state fuel specifications, refinery capacity and sensitivity to outages—factors emphasized by the California Energy Commission and reflected in EIA price behavior [4] [2].