U.S. inflation · 1969–1980
$100 in 1969 has the same buying power as
$225
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 124.5% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 7.63% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $225 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $125 |
| CPI in 1969 | 36.7 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1969 | 5.46% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1969 → 1980 | $225 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1969 | $44.54 |
Between 1969 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 36.7 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 124.5%, which works out to an average of 7.63% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1969 bought what $0.45 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1969 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $2.25 |
| $5.00 | $11.23 |
| $10.00 | $22.45 |
| $20.00 | $44.90 |
| $50.00 | $112 |
| $100 | $225 |
| $500 | $1,123 |
| $1,000 | $2,245 |
| $5,000 | $11,226 |
| $10,000 | $22,452 |
| $100,000 | $224,523 |
| $1,000,000 | $2,245,232 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1969 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1969 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 7.63% | $225 |
| Energy | 11.97% | $347 |
| Housing | 8.22% | $239 |
| Medical care | 8.07% | $235 |
| Food | 8.03% | $234 |
| Transportation | 7.98% | $233 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 7.00% | $210 |
| Apparel | 4.37% | $160 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1969: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $100 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $106 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $110 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $114 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $121 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $134 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $147 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $155 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $165 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $178 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $198 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $225 |
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 1969 to 1980: $100 is worth $225 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1969-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1969 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1969-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.