Barack Obama — 44th President of the United States
44th President of the United States, Democratic
Barack Obama
Term: Jan 20, 2009 – Jan 20, 2017
Barack Obama (born 1961) was the forty-fourth president of the United States, serving from 2009 to 2017, and the first Black person to hold the office. He signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which extended health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, and oversaw the economic recovery following the 2008 financial crisis. His administration also significantly expanded the use of drone strikes in counterterrorism operations and maintained military deployments in Afghanistan and other countries throughout both terms.
“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”
Gas prices during the Obama presidency
- At inauguration
- $1.79
- Jan 2009
- On leaving
- $2.35
- Jan 2017
- Change
- +31.6%
- +14.4% in 2026 dollars
- Average
- $2.97
- $4.35 in 2026 dollars
- Peak
- $3.93
- May 2011
- Low
- $1.77
- Feb 2016
U.S. average, regular grade · Jan 2009 – Dec 2016
Nominal U.S. national averages including taxes (EIA / BLS); regional prices vary widely. Compare all presidencies on Gas Prices by President.
Events during this term
- Arab Spring and Libyan civil war
War · Prices rose · Feb 2011 – May 2011
During this term: pump price $3.17 → $3.93 (+24.2%)
- 2014–16 oil price crash
Oil shock · Prices fell · Jun 2014 – Feb 2016
During this term: pump price $3.69 → $1.77 (−52.2%)