U.S. inflation · 1961–1980
$100 in 1961 has the same buying power as
$276
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 175.6% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 5.48% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $276 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $176 |
| CPI in 1961 | 29.9 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1961 | 1.01% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1961 → 1980 | $276 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1961 | $36.29 |
Between 1961 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 29.9 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 175.6%, which works out to an average of 5.48% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1961 bought what $0.36 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1961 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $2.76 |
| $5.00 | $13.78 |
| $10.00 | $27.56 |
| $20.00 | $55.12 |
| $50.00 | $138 |
| $100 | $276 |
| $500 | $1,378 |
| $1,000 | $2,756 |
| $5,000 | $13,779 |
| $10,000 | $27,559 |
| $100,000 | $275,585 |
| $1,000,000 | $2,755,853 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1961 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1961 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 5.48% | $276 |
| Energy | 7.31% | $382 |
| Medical care | 6.44% | $327 |
| Food | 5.68% | $286 |
| Transportation | 5.49% | $276 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 5.17% | $261 |
| Apparel | 3.64% | $197 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1961: housing (1967–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $100 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $101 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $102 |
| 1964 | 31 | 1.3% | $104 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $105 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $108 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $112 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $116 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $123 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $130 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $135 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $140 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $148 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $165 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $180 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $190 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $203 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $218 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $243 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $276 |
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 1961 to 1980: $100 is worth $276 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1961-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1961 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1961-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.