Fed interest rate history · 2018
The Fed Funds Rate in 2018
In 2018, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate from 1.5% to 2.5%, for a yearly average of 1.96% — the 7th-highest of the 18 years on record. Here's the month-by-month path, what the Fed did and why, how the UK and Europe compared, and where it sits against the 3.75% of today.
- 2018 average 1.96% high 2.5% · low 1.5%
- Net move +1.00 pts 1.5% → 2.5%
- vs today 3.75% in 2026
- 2009–2026 average 1.55% long-run norm
2018 month by month
The rate began 2018 at 1.5% and ended it at 2.5%. Along the way the Fed stepped it up in 4 of the year's months — a net increase of 1.00 points across the year. Its high was 2.5% and its low 1.5%. The chart above traces that path; hover any month to read the exact level.
What the Fed did in 2018, and why
The Fed raised rates four times as the economy ran hot, lifting the target range to its highest level since 2008.
The Fed sets this rate to serve its "dual mandate" — stable prices and maximum employment. When inflation runs hot it raises the benchmark to cool borrowing and demand; when the economy weakens it cuts to encourage activity. In 2018 the rate averaged 1.96%, which makes the year the 7th-highest of the 18 years on record. For context, the benchmark has averaged 1.55% across the whole 2009–2026 record and ran about 0.74% on average through the 2010s, so 2018 sat above its own decade.
What it meant for your money
The federal funds rate is the wholesale price of money, and it filters into almost every rate a household touches. When it sits high, as in 2018, the interest on credit cards, car loans and other variable-rate debt tends to be expensive, while the yield on savings accounts, CDs and money-market funds is more rewarding. Fixed mortgage rates take their cue more from long-term Treasury yields than from the Fed directly, but they generally drift in the same direction. You can see that year's home-loan cost in our mortgage-rate history for 2018.
The US in global context
The Fed wasn't acting in isolation. Entering 2018, the Bank of England held its headline rate near 0.46% and the European Central Bank near -0.4%, against the Federal Reserve's 1.5%. The levels differ — and each bank measures its rate slightly differently — but the world's major central banks tend to move through the same broad cycle, tightening and easing together as the same global forces of growth and inflation play out. To see the full three-way comparison over time, view the US/UK/Europe chart on the main study.
How 2018 compares
A year earlier, in 2017, the rate averaged 1.13% and ended at 1.5%. The following year, 2019, it averaged 2.25%. Set against today's 3.75%, 2018's 1.96% average was lower. The Fed sets only the short end of the interest-rate structure; see how the whole Treasury yield curve looked in 2018.
This is one year of the story. For the full picture — every month since 2009, the zero years, the great tightening, and the UK/Europe comparison — see the Federal Reserve interest rate history, 2009–today.
The Fed rate in 2018 — FAQ
What was the federal funds rate in 2018?
In 2018 the Fed's benchmark rose from 1.5% at the start of the year to 2.5% by year-end, averaging 1.96% (a high of 2.5% and a low of 1.5%).
Did the Fed raise or cut rates in 2018?
The rate raised 1.00 points on net, stepping up in 4 months across 2018, from 1.5% to 2.5%. The Fed raised rates four times as the economy ran hot, lifting the target range to its highest level since 2008.
How does the 2018 rate compare with today?
In 2018 the rate averaged 1.96%, versus 3.75% today. Across the full 2009–2026 record the benchmark has averaged 1.55%, ranging from 0.25% to 5.5%.
What were UK and European interest rates in 2018?
At the start of 2018, the Bank of England sat near 0.46% and the European Central Bank near -0.4%, against the Federal Reserve's 1.5%. Each central bank defines its headline rate a little differently, but all three tend to move through the same broad cycle.
Why did the Fed move rates in 2018?
The Fed raised rates four times as the economy ran hot, lifting the target range to its highest level since 2008.
