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What was the average US gas price when Biden took office in 2021?
Executive Summary
When President Joe Biden was inaugurated on January 20, 2021, contemporaneous national averages for regular gasoline clustered around about $2.38–$2.39 per gallon, with most retail‑price trackers reporting values within a few cents of that range for mid‑ to late‑January 2021 [1] [2] [3]. Some data points reported slightly lower or higher snapshots—ranging roughly from $2.25 to $2.46—depending on the exact date, the data source, and whether the figure represents a single‑day price, a weekly average, or an “all formulations” national average [4] [5] [6].
1. Why numbers vary: Dates and the thin margin that matters
Different sources report slightly different averages for the Biden inauguration period because each dataset measures price at a different instant and with different averaging windows, which produces cent‑level discrepancies that can be politically amplified. AAA’s newsroom produced near‑identical snapshots on mid‑ to late‑January dates, reporting $2.38–$2.39 per gallon around January 19–22, 2021 [2] [1]. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s weekly series shows a $2.379 per‑gallon figure for the week ending January 18, 2021, which aligns closely with the AAA mid‑January numbers and supports the ~$2.38–$2.39 conclusion for Biden’s first day in office [3]. A few other daily or early‑January snapshots reported lower values—$2.25 or $2.334—because those figures reflect earlier days in January 2021 or different formulations and therefore are not inconsistent with the mid‑January consensus [4] [5].
2. Reconciling a slightly higher figure cited by fact‑checks
One reputable fact‑check cited a $2.46 per gallon figure as the nationwide average at inauguration, which comes from a different EIA aggregation or a different reference day within the inauguration week and therefore sits slightly above the mid‑January cluster [6]. This discrepancy is easily explained by aggregation choices: whether a report uses a weekly average that ends just after January 18, a specific daily observation on January 20, or an “all formulations” weighted series can shift the number by a few cents. The difference between $2.38 and $2.46 is financially small but rhetorically useful, and it illustrates why analysts and communicators must specify the exact data series and date when citing historical gas prices [3] [6].
3. Political claims and context about price changes since 2021
Several partisan or advocacy pieces framed the change in gas prices as a dramatic rise “since Biden took office,” sometimes asserting prices more than doubled from inauguration to mid‑2022, when averages exceeded $5.00 per gallon [7] [8]. Those claims hinge on comparing a January 2021 baseline (~$2.38–$2.39) to a June 2022 peak above $5; the arithmetic is correct in that a peak above $5 is more than double the January 2021 mid‑January baseline, but such comparisons omit intervening causes, global market drivers, and the fact that retail gasoline is volatile and responsive to crude oil prices, refining margins, seasonal demand, and geopolitical shocks [7] [6]. Fact‑checkers highlight the correct chronology—lowish prices at Biden’s inauguration, a later spike in 2022—but also note that attributing the entire change to a single political actor oversimplifies complex energy markets [6].
4. Methodological caution: which dataset to trust for a precise answer
For a precise historical statement about the inauguration day, weekly EIA retail price series and AAA daily averages for mid‑January 2021 are the best contemporaneous references, because they report standardized national averages and are widely used by journalists and analysts; both point to roughly $2.38–$2.39 per gallon [3] [1] [2]. Single‑day or early‑January snapshots that yield $2.25 or $2.334 are valid but reflect different dates or formulations and therefore should be labeled as such [4] [5]. When communicating a single number, state the data source and the exact date or averaging window—doing so avoids misleading impressions created by small cent‑level differences that become politically salient.
5. Bottom line for readers and communicators
The most defensible, source‑consistent answer is that the national average for regular gasoline around President Biden’s first day in office was about $2.38–$2.39 per gallon, based on AAA and EIA series for mid‑ to late‑January 2021 [1] [2] [3]. Alternative reported values between $2.25 and $2.46 are traceable to legitimate variations in date or method and do not contradict the mid‑January consensus; they demonstrate the importance of specifying the precise dataset and date when citing historical price levels [4] [5] [6]. Political claims that emphasize a dramatic percentage increase since that baseline are arithmetically supportable when referencing the June 2022 peak above $5, but they bypass market dynamics and attribution complexities that matter for rigorous analysis [7] [8] [6].