Key Milestones
- All-time high: $145.31 (EIA spot) on July 3, 2008; NYMEX futures touched $147.27 intraday on July 11, 2008.
- All-time low: −$36.98 (EIA spot) on April 20, 2020, when Cushing storage was filling; the May futures contract settled at −$37.63.
- 2014–2016 collapse: from $107.95 on June 20, 2014 to $26.19 on February 11, 2016, as US shale and OPEC fought for market share.
- 2022: Russia's invasion of Ukraine lifted the annual average to $94.90, the highest since 2014.
- 2026: the Strait of Hormuz crisis drove the spot price from $66.96 on February 27 to $114.58 on April 7; WTI posted a record $38 intraday futures range on March 9.
WTI Price by Year (1986–2025)
| Year | WTI avg | Brent avg | WTI high | WTI low | Year-end | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65.39 | $69.14 | $80.73 (Jan 15) | $55.44 (Dec 16) | $57.26 | -21.0% |
| 2024 | $76.63 | $80.52 | $87.69 (Apr 5) | $66.73 (Sep 10) | $72.44 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | $77.58 | $82.49 | $93.67 (Sep 27) | $66.61 (Mar 17) | $71.89 | -10.3% |
| 2022 | $94.90 | $100.93 | $123.64 (Mar 8) | $71.05 (Dec 9) | $80.16 | +6.4% |
| 2021 | $68.13 | $70.86 | $85.64 (Oct 26) | $47.47 (Jan 4) | $75.33 | +55.8% |
| 2020 | $39.16 | $41.96 | $63.27 (Jan 6) | −$36.98 (Apr 20) | $48.35 | -20.9% |
| 2019 | $56.99 | $64.30 | $66.24 (Apr 23) | $46.31 (Jan 2) | $61.14 | +35.4% |
| 2018 | $65.23 | $71.34 | $77.41 (Jun 27) | $44.48 (Dec 27) | $45.15 | -25.3% |
| 2017 | $50.80 | $54.13 | $60.46 (Dec 29) | $42.48 (Jun 21) | $60.46 | +12.5% |
| 2016 | $43.29 | $43.64 | $54.01 (Dec 28) | $26.19 (Feb 11) | $53.75 | +44.8% |
| 2015 | $48.66 | $52.32 | $61.36 (Jun 10) | $34.55 (Dec 21) | $37.13 | -30.5% |
| 2014 | $93.17 | $98.97 | $107.95 (Jun 20) | $53.45 (Dec 31) | $53.45 | -45.6% |
| 2013 | $97.98 | $108.56 | $110.62 (Sep 6) | $86.65 (Apr 17) | $98.17 | +6.9% |
| 2012 | $94.05 | $111.63 | $109.39 (Feb 24) | $77.72 (Jun 28) | $91.83 | -7.1% |
| 2011 | $94.88 | $111.26 | $113.03 (May 2) | $75.40 (Oct 4) | $98.83 | +8.2% |
| 2010 | $79.48 | $79.61 | $91.48 (Dec 28) | $64.78 (May 25) | $91.38 | +15.1% |
| 2009 | $61.95 | $61.74 | $81.03 (Oct 21) | $34.03 (Feb 12) | $79.39 | +78.0% |
| 2008 | $99.67 | $96.94 | $145.31 (Jul 3) | $30.28 (Dec 23) | $44.60 | -53.5% |
| 2007 | $72.34 | $72.44 | $99.16 (Nov 20) | $50.51 (Jan 18) | $95.95 | +57.7% |
| 2006 | $66.05 | $65.16 | $77.05 (Aug 7) | $55.90 (Nov 17) | $60.85 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | $56.64 | $54.57 | $69.50 (Sep 1) | $42.16 (Jan 3) | $60.26 | +39.0% |
| 2004 | $41.51 | $38.26 | $56.37 (Oct 26) | $32.49 (Feb 6) | $43.36 | +31.4% |
| 2003 | $31.08 | $28.85 | $37.96 (Feb 26) | $25.32 (Apr 29) | $33.01 | +5.8% |
| 2002 | $26.18 | $24.99 | $32.68 (Dec 27) | $18.02 (Jan 18) | $31.21 | +56.4% |
| 2001 | $25.98 | $24.46 | $32.21 (Jan 22) | $17.50 (Nov 15) | $19.96 | -25.3% |
| 2000 | $30.38 | $28.66 | $37.22 (Sep 20) | $23.91 (Apr 10) | $26.72 | +3.7% |
| 1999 | $19.34 | $17.90 | $28.03 (Nov 22) | $11.38 (Feb 16) | $25.76 | +112.2% |
| 1998 | $14.42 | $12.76 | $17.93 (Jan 29) | $10.82 (Dec 10) | $12.14 | -31.2% |
| 1997 | $20.61 | $19.11 | $26.55 (Jan 8) | $17.60 (Dec 30) | $17.65 | -31.9% |
| 1996 | $22.12 | $20.64 | $26.55 (Dec 19) | $17.33 (Jan 29) | $25.90 | +32.5% |
| 1995 | $18.43 | $17.02 | $20.53 (May 1) | $16.86 (Oct 5) | $19.54 | +10.0% |
| 1994 | $17.20 | $15.86 | $20.72 (Jun 17) | $13.89 (Feb 16) | $17.77 | +25.2% |
| 1993 | $18.43 | $17.01 | $20.85 (Mar 5) | $14.09 (Dec 27) | $14.19 | -27.2% |
| 1992 | $20.58 | $19.32 | $23.03 (Jun 24) | $17.95 (Jan 8) | $19.49 | +1.8% |
| 1991 | $21.54 | $20.04 | $32.25 (Jan 16) | $17.43 (Feb 22) | $19.15 | -32.8% |
| 1990 | $24.53 | $23.76 | $41.07 (Oct 11) | $15.43 (Jun 20) | $28.48 | +30.4% |
| 1989 | $19.64 | $18.23 | $24.62 (Apr 20) | $16.99 (Jan 4) | $21.84 | +27.6% |
| 1988 | $15.97 | $14.91 | $18.54 (Apr 26) | $12.58 (Oct 5) | $17.12 | +2.3% |
| 1987 | $19.20 | $18.53 | $22.44 (Jul 16) | $15.12 (Dec 21) | $16.74 | -5.6% |
| 1986 | $15.05 | — | $26.53 (Jan 6) | $10.25 (Mar 31) | $17.73 |
US dollars per barrel, nominal (not inflation-adjusted). WTI: EIA Cushing, OK spot price FOB (RWTC); Brent: EIA Europe Brent spot price FOB (RBRTE, from 1987). High, low and year-end are daily spot prices; change is year-end vs prior year-end. EIA release of September 30, 2026.
2026 Monthly Averages
| Month | WTI | Brent | Brent − WTI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | $60.04 | $66.60 | $6.56 |
| Feb 2026 | $64.51 | $70.89 | $6.38 |
| Mar 2026 | $91.38 | $103.13 | $11.75 |
| Apr 2026 | $100.32 | $117.29 | $16.97 |
| May 2026 | $102.13 | $107.14 | $5.01 |
| Jun 2026 | $84.81 | $85.40 | $0.59 |
| Jul 2026 | $80.46 | $83.76 | $3.30 |
| Aug 2026 | $83.90 | $91.08 | $7.18 |
EIA monthly average spot prices; September 2026 not yet published at the time of writing (latest daily WTI spot: $96.16 on September 29, 2026). Read why the spread blew out in the WTI-Brent spread guide.
Spot Price vs Futures Price
The EIA spot price is an assessment of physical WTI at Cushing for the day, published with a short delay. The prices on our live charts are futures: NYMEX front-month contracts (CL1!) or TradingView's USOIL series that follows them. They are usually within cents of each other, but can differ around contract expiry and in very volatile markets. See WTI futures contract specifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest WTI oil price ever?
The highest daily Cushing WTI spot price in EIA records is $145.31 a barrel on July 3, 2008. NYMEX front-month futures traded intraday as high as $147.27 on July 11, 2008. The highest annual average was $99.67 in 2008.
What is the lowest WTI oil price ever?
On April 20, 2020 the EIA's Cushing WTI spot price was minus $36.98 a barrel, and the expiring May 2020 NYMEX futures contract settled at minus $37.63 — the only time the benchmark has been negative, caused by storage at Cushing filling during the COVID-19 demand collapse.
What was the average WTI price in 2025?
The EIA's Cushing WTI spot price averaged $65.39 a barrel in 2025, down from $76.63 in 2024. Brent averaged $69.14.
What has the WTI price been in 2026?
WTI started 2026 near $57–60 and surged after the Iran war closed the Strait of Hormuz at the end of February. The 2026 high in the EIA spot series so far is $114.58 on April 7, and the low $56.01 on January 7. Monthly averages peaked at $102.13 in May.
Where does this WTI price history data come from?
Annual and monthly averages and daily highs and lows are from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Cushing, OK WTI spot price FOB series (RWTC) and Europe Brent spot price FOB series (RBRTE). The EIA updates these weekly; the figures on this page are from the release of September 30, 2026.