U.S. inflation · 1977–1980
$100 in 1977 has the same buying power as
$136
in 1980
| Cumulative price change | 36.0% |
|---|---|
| Average inflation rate | 10.79% per year |
| Converted amount ($100 base) | $136 |
| Price difference ($100 base) | $35.97 |
| CPI in 1977 | 60.6 |
| CPI in 1980 | 82.4 |
| Inflation in 1977 | 6.50% |
| Inflation in 1980 | 13.50% |
| $100 in 1977 → 1980 | $136 |
| $100 in 1980 → 1977 | $73.54 |
Between 1977 and 1980, the Consumer Price Index went from 60.6 to 82.4. Cumulatively, prices increased 36.0%, which works out to an average of 10.79% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1977 bought what $0.74 buys in 1980.
| Amount in 1977 | Value in 1980 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.36 |
| $5.00 | $6.80 |
| $10.00 | $13.60 |
| $20.00 | $27.19 |
| $50.00 | $67.99 |
| $100 | $136 |
| $500 | $680 |
| $1,000 | $1,360 |
| $5,000 | $6,799 |
| $10,000 | $13,597 |
| $100,000 | $135,974 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,359,736 |
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1977 spending costs in 1980, by category:
| Category | Avg. yearly inflation | $100 in 1977 → |
|---|---|---|
| All items (CPI-U) | 10.79% | $136 |
| Energy | 20.30% | $174 |
| Housing | 12.21% | $141 |
| Transportation | 12.09% | $141 |
| Food | 9.84% | $133 |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 9.82% | $132 |
| Medical care | 9.53% | $131 |
| Apparel | 4.97% | $116 |
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1977: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
| Year | CPI | Inflation rate | $100 from 1977 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $100 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $108 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $120 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $136 |
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 1977 to 1980: $100 is worth $136 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1977-to-1980/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1977 to 1980. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1977-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.