Fuel Prices 1970 2026

By shrijeetverma13 · March 22, 2026

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The analysis identified the 10 months in history that recorded the highest crude oil prices. A bar chart has been generated showing these peak price months, with each bar labeled with the exact price in USD. The chart makes it easy to compare the top price periods at a glance.

The 2000s experienced the highest crude oil price volatility among all decades, with a standard deviation of $25.64. During this decade, prices swung dramatically from a low of $18.52 to a high of $132.83, with an average price of $49.17 across 120 observations. A bar chart has been generated showing the standard deviation of crude oil prices for each decade, making it easy to compare volatility across time periods.

The analysis identified the 10 months with the lowest crude oil prices in the dataset. A bar chart has been generated showing each of these months along with their corresponding price levels, making it easy to compare which periods saw the cheapest oil prices and how they relate to one another.

The analysis calculated the year-over-year percentage change in average annual crude oil prices across the full dataset. A bar chart was generated showing green bars for price increases and red bars for decreases, making it easy to spot volatile periods at a glance.

The analysis identified the 15 largest month-over-month crude oil price increases, which are strong indicators of supply shocks or market crises. A bar chart has been generated showing these spikes ranked by dollar increase per barrel, with color intensity reflecting the magnitude of each jump.

The analysis identified the 15 largest month-over-month crude oil price drops, highlighting periods of severe demand crashes or oversupply events. A bar chart has been generated showing these drops ranked by magnitude, along with supporting data tables for detailed review.

The analysis produced a bar chart and data table comparing average crude oil prices across each decade. The visualization uses a color gradient (yellow to red) to highlight how prices have changed over time, making it easy to spot which decades had the highest and lowest average prices per barrel.

The chart shows crude oil prices from 1970 to 2026, with a clear long-term upward trend punctuated by major volatility. Prices started at just $1.21 in 1970 and have risen dramatically over the decades. The visualization includes monthly prices (in light blue) alongside a 12-month moving average (in red) to highlight the underlying trend through short-term noise.

Yes, there is a mild seasonal pattern in crude oil prices, but it's relatively weak. The analysis produced two charts — a box plot showing the distribution of prices for each month, and a line chart comparing mean and median prices across the year. July tends to have the highest average price ($40.85), while January has the lowest ($38.32), a difference of just $2.52, which represents only 6.3% of the overall mean price of $39.80. This suggests that while a seasonal trend exists, it is modest and likely overshadowed by larger forces like geopolitical events, supply/demand shifts, and macroeconomic cycles.

The analysis identified major historical crude oil price crashes and their recovery periods. Two data tables were generated showing the key crash events, including the peak prices, trough prices, percentage drops, and the number of months it took for prices to recover after each major decline.

The bar chart shows the top 10 years with the widest spread between monthly high and low crude oil prices. These are the years where oil prices experienced the most dramatic swings within a single year, reflecting periods of major market volatility.

The most recent crude oil price (as of March 1, 2026) is $87.84 per barrel, which is significantly higher than the historical average of $39.80. The current price sits $48.04 — or 120.7% — above that long-term average. A chart has been generated showing the full price history with the historical average line and the most recent price highlighted.

Over the most recent 5-year period (March 2021 to March 2026), crude oil prices averaged $78.23 per barrel. The line chart shows the full price trend across all 61 months, with a dashed red line marking the average. Prices ranged from a low of $57.95 to a high of $116.80, and the latest recorded price is $87.84 — above the 5-year average.

The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of crude oil prices over the full period from January 1970 to March 2026 (56.2 years) is 7.93% per year. Prices grew from $1.21 per barrel to $87.84 per barrel over this span.

The analysis examined every consecutive 12-month window in the crude oil price dataset to find the periods with the fastest sustained price increases. A chart and supporting data tables were generated showing the full history of 12-month rolling percentage changes, with the top 10 fastest increase periods highlighted in red.

Out of 675 months analyzed, the majority of months (52.3%) had crude oil prices below $30, while only 7.0% saw prices above $100. The remaining 40.7% fell in the $30–$100 range. A pie chart has been generated to visually illustrate this distribution.

Yes, three distinct price regimes can be clearly identified across the full timeline. Using the 33rd and 66th percentiles as boundaries, crude oil prices fall into Low (≤$18.49), Medium ($18.49–$46.13), and High ( $46.13) regimes — each containing roughly equal portions of the historical record (~220–230 months). A scatter plot color-codes every data point by regime, with dashed threshold lines marking the boundaries.

The 12-month rolling average reveals that crude oil is currently in a bullish medium-term trend, with the current price of $87.84 sitting above the 12-month rolling average of $64.68. Two charts were generated: one overlaying the monthly price with the smoothed rolling average, and a second showing month-over-month momentum changes as a bar chart (green for positive, red for negative). The rolling average effectively filters out short-term noise, exposing the true medium-term direction of prices.