U.S. inflation · 1973–1980
$100 in 1973 has the same buying power as
$186
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 85.6% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 9.24% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $186 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $85.59 |
| CPI in 1973 | 44.4 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1973 | 6.22% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1973 → 1980 | $186 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1973 | $53.88 |
Between 1973 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 44.4 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 85.6%, which works out to an average of 9.24% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1973 bought what $0.54 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1973 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.86 |
| $5.00 | $9.28 |
| $10.00 | $18.56 |
| $20.00 | $37.12 |
| $50.00 | $92.79 |
| $100 | $186 |
| $500 | $928 |
| $1,000 | $1,856 |
| $5,000 | $9,279 |
| $10,000 | $18,559 |
| $100,000 | $185,586 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,855,856 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1973 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1973 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 9.24% | $186 |
| Energy | 16.57% | $293 |
| Transportation | 10.54% | $202 |
| Housing | 10.16% | $197 |
| Medical care | 9.85% | $193 |
| Food | 8.77% | $180 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 8.52% | $177 |
| Apparel | 5.00% | $141 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1973: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1973 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $100 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $111 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $121 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $128 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $136 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $147 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $164 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $186 |
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 1973 to 1980: $100 is worth $186 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1973-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1973 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1973-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.