U.S. inflation · 1974–1980
$100 in 1974 has the same buying power as
$167
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 67.1% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 8.94% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $167 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $67.14 |
| CPI in 1974 | 49.3 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1974 | 11.04% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1974 → 1980 | $167 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1974 | $59.83 |
Between 1974 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 49.3 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 67.1%, which works out to an average of 8.94% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1974 bought what $0.60 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1974 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.67 |
| $5.00 | $8.36 |
| $10.00 | $16.71 |
| $20.00 | $33.43 |
| $50.00 | $83.57 |
| $100 | $167 |
| $500 | $836 |
| $1,000 | $1,671 |
| $5,000 | $8,357 |
| $10,000 | $16,714 |
| $100,000 | $167,140 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,671,400 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1974 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1974 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 8.94% | $167 |
| Energy | 14.53% | $226 |
| Transportation | 10.44% | $181 |
| Housing | 9.99% | $177 |
| Medical care | 9.95% | $177 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 8.55% | $164 |
| Food | 7.87% | $158 |
| Apparel | 4.60% | $131 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1974: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1974 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $100 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $109 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $115 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $123 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $132 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $147 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $167 |
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 1974 to 1980: $100 is worth $167 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1974-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1974 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1974-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.