U.S. inflation · 1950–1980
$100 in 1950 has the same buying power as
$342
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 241.9% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 4.18% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $342 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $242 |
| CPI in 1950 | 24.1 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1950 | 1.26% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1950 → 1980 | $342 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1950 | $29.25 |
Between 1950 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 24.1 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 241.9%, which works out to an average of 4.18% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1950 bought what $0.29 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1950 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $3.42 |
| $5.00 | $17.10 |
| $10.00 | $34.19 |
| $20.00 | $68.38 |
| $50.00 | $171 |
| $100 | $342 |
| $500 | $1,710 |
| $1,000 | $3,419 |
| $5,000 | $17,095 |
| $10,000 | $34,191 |
| $100,000 | $341,909 |
| $1,000,000 | $3,419,087 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1950 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1950 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 4.18% | $342 |
| Medical care | 5.48% | $496 |
| Transportation | 4.42% | $366 |
| Food | 4.18% | $342 |
| Apparel | 2.75% | $226 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1950: core (all items less food & energy) (1957–), energy (1957–), housing (1967–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $100 |
| 1951 | 26 | 7.9% | $108 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $110 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $111 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $112 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $111 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $113 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $117 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $120 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $121 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $123 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $124 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $125 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $127 |
| 1964 | 31 | 1.3% | $129 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $131 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $134 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $139 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $144 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $152 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $161 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $168 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $173 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $184 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $205 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $223 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $236 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $251 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $271 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $301 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $342 |
1980 sat at the very peak of the Great Inflation. Prices rose 13.5% in that single year, mortgage rates were climbing toward 16%, and the Federal Reserve under Paul Volcker was administering the painful interest-rate medicine that would finally break the inflationary spiral, at the cost of the deep 1981–82 recession. No single year looms larger in how Americans think about inflation.
MLA: “Inflation from 1950 to 1980: $100 is worth $342 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1950-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1950 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1950-to-1980/
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.