U.S. inflation · 1970–1980
$100 in 1970 has the same buying power as
$212
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 112.4% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 7.82% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $212 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $112 |
| CPI in 1970 | 38.8 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1970 | 5.72% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1970 → 1980 | $212 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1970 | $47.09 |
Between 1970 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 38.8 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 112.4%, which works out to an average of 7.82% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1970 bought what $0.47 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1970 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $2.12 |
| $5.00 | $10.62 |
| $10.00 | $21.24 |
| $20.00 | $42.47 |
| $50.00 | $106 |
| $100 | $212 |
| $500 | $1,062 |
| $1,000 | $2,124 |
| $5,000 | $10,619 |
| $10,000 | $21,237 |
| $100,000 | $212,371 |
| $1,000,000 | $2,123,711 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1970 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1970 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 7.82% | $212 |
| Energy | 12.93% | $337 |
| Housing | 8.34% | $223 |
| Transportation | 8.28% | $222 |
| Food | 8.27% | $221 |
| Medical care | 8.22% | $220 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 7.07% | $198 |
| Apparel | 4.38% | $154 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1970: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1970 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $100 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $104 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $108 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $114 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $127 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $139 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $147 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $156 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $168 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $187 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $212 |
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 1970 to 1980: $100 is worth $212 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1970-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1970 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1970-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.