The year 2003 · in the United States and the world
What happened in 2003
The cost of living, the songs at #1, the news and the people in charge in 2003, rebuilt from public records. Born that year? Your exact day has its own story.
Gallon of gas
$1.59
$4.48 today
President
George W. Bush
Biggest #1
“In Da Club”
50 Cent
$1 then is
$1.83
in today’s money
01 · Cost of living
How much things cost in 2003
U.S. average prices for 2003, next to the latest official figure (Sep 2026). By the Consumer Price Index, $1 in 2003 buys what $1.83 buys today.
GENERAL STORE
U.S. AVERAGE PRICES · 2003
GALLON OF GAS COSTS 2.8× WHAT IT DID
Yearly averages · wage and stamp on July 1
Gas: drivers paid $1.59 for a gallon of regular in 2003. Filling a 15-gallon tank cost about $23.86, against roughly $67.23 now.
Groceries: one hour at the federal minimum wage ($5.15) bought about 5 pounds of white bread in 2003. Today it buys about 3.
Housing: the median new home sold for $192,125, or about 18 years of full-time work at the minimum wage. Today the median is $393,300.
Mail: a first-class stamp cost 37¢. It is 78¢ now.
Stocks: the S&P 500 now stands about 8.0× its average level in 2003 (price only, before dividends and inflation).
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average prices, Census Bureau and Department of Labor viaFRED; USPS rate history; S&P from Robert Shiller’s public data.
02 · On the radio
The #1 songs of 2003
12 songs reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2003. The one that stayed longest:
“In Da Club”
50 Cent · 9 weeks at #1 in 2003
Tap the cover for a 30-second preview
- Jan 4Lose YourselfEminem4 wks
- Feb 1Bump, Bump, BumpB2K & P. Diddy1 wk
- Feb 8All I HaveJennifer Lopez Featuring LL Cool J4 wks
- Mar 8In Da Club50 Cent9 wks
- May 10Get BusySean Paul3 wks
- May 3121 Questions50 Cent Featuring Nate Dogg4 wks
- Jun 28This Is The NightClay Aiken2 wks
- Jul 12Crazy In LoveBeyonce Featuring Jay Z8 wks
- Sep 6Shake Ya TailfeatherNelly, P. Diddy & Murphy Lee4 wks
- Oct 4Baby BoyBeyonce Featuring Sean Paul9 wks
- Dec 6Stand UpLudacris Featuring Shawnna1 wk
- Dec 13Hey Ya!OutKast3 wks
Dates are the first chart week at #1 in 2003; weeks count only those in 2003.Find the #1 song on your birthday →
Your day, not just your year
Born in 2003? Meet your day.
The weather in your city, the moon over it and the song on the radio the day you arrived in 2003.
See your exact day →The weather, the sky and the #1 song from that exact day, in your city
03 · The news
Major events of 2003
Moments from 2003 that are still remembered, in date order.
- Jan 23The final signal was detected from the NASA space probe Pioneer 10, then about 12 billion kilometres (7.5 billion miles) from Earth.
- Jan 24The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
- Feb 1All seven crew members aboard Space Shuttle Columbia were killed when the orbiter disintegrated over Texas during reentry.
- Feb 10France and Belgium break the NATO procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures for Turkey in case of a possible war with Iraq.
- Mar 11The International Criminal Court holds its inaugural session in The Hague.
- Mar 19United States President George W. Bush addresses the nation, announcing the invasion of Iraq.
- Mar 20Iraq War: The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland begin an invasion of Iraq.
- Jun 26The U.S. Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws in the country in the landmark decision Lawrence v. Texas.
- Jun 29An overloaded balcony collapsed in Chicago, United States, killing 13 people and injuring 57 others.
- Jul 7NASA Opportunity rover, MER-B or Mars Exploration Rover–B, was launched into space aboard a Delta II rocket.
- Aug 27Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant.
- Oct 19Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II.
- Oct 24Concorde makes its last commercial flight.
- Nov 17Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's tenure as the governor of California begins.
Event summaries from Wikipedia’s “On this day”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Each links to its article.
04 · Who was in charge
The president and world leaders in 2003
U.S. President
George W. Bush
UK Prime Minister
Tony Blair
Prime Minister of Canada
Jean Chrétien → Paul Martin
German Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder
Prime Minister of Japan
Junichiro Koizumi
President of Russia
Vladimir Putin
Everyone who held the office at some point in 2003, from Wikidata.
05 · At the movies and on TV
Films and TV of 2003
Best Picture at the 2003 Oscars
Chicago
honouring films of 2002
The 2003 film that won next spring
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Picture at the 2004 Oscars
American films released
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Finding Nemo
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Brother Bear
- Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure
- Lost in Translation
New on American TV
- The Walking Dead
- Two and a Half Men
- NCIS
- MythBusters
A selection of the best-documented titles on Wikidata, by first release year; not a box-office ranking.
06 · Born in 2003
Famous people born in 2003
Anyone born in 2003 belongs to the Generation Z (1997–2012).
Kyle RittenhouseAmerican conservative personality · Jan 3
Jaeden MartellAmerican actor · Jan 4
J. J. McCarthyAmerican football player · Jan 20
Olivia RodrigoAmerican actress and singer · Feb 20
Montana JordanAmerican actor · Mar 8
Quinn EwersAmerican football player · Mar 15
Bhad BhabieAmerican rapper and social media personality · Mar 26
Jaxson DartAmerican football player · May 13
Jojo SiwaAmerican dancer, singer, actress, and YouTube personality · May 19
Jack Dylan GrazerAmerican actor · Sep 3
From Wikipedia’s “On this day”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick answers
Quick answers about 2003
How much was gas in 2003?
A gallon of regular unleaded gas cost $1.59 on average in 2003, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest national average is $4.48 (Sep 2026), about 2.8× as much.
What was the #1 song of 2003?
“In Da Club” by 50 Cent spent the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2003: 9 weeks. 12 different songs reached #1 that year.
Who was president in 2003?
George W. Bush was President of the United States for all of 2003.
How much is $1 from 2003 worth today?
Prices have risen about 1.8× since 2003, so $1 then buys what about $1.83 buys today, by the Consumer Price Index (Sep 2026). A first-class stamp cost 37¢ in 2003.
Your day, not just your year
2003 was the year. Which day was yours?
Pick your birthday and city. We’ll rebuild that day: the weather outside, the sky overhead, the song on the radio and what a dollar bought.
See your exact day →The weather, the sky and the #1 song from that exact day, in your city