Margarine price history from 1939 through 2020

Margarine Inflation Calculator

Prices for Margarine, 1939-2020 ($20)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for margarine were 1,334.38% higher in 2020 versus 1939 (a $266.88 difference in value).

Between 1939 and 2020: Margarine experienced an average inflation rate of 3.34% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, margarine costing $20 in the year 1939 would cost $286.88 in 2020 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.67% during this same period, inflation for margarine was lower.

Price Inflation for Margarine since 1939

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Years with the largest changes in pricing: 1974 (53.60%), 1947 (44.25%), and 1942 (30.23%).

Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Margarine:

Year	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
CPI	21.200	20.685	22.392	29.162	29.931	29.823	29.808	34.908	50.354	50.992	37.862	37.162	41.623	35.392	35.615	35.938	34.823	35.062	36.423	35.715	34.154	32.931	35.100	34.885	33.823	33.815	36.108	37.046	37.154	36.608	36.515	39.400	43.085	43.715	49.554	76.115	83.438	69.954	76.415	84.000	89.262	92.762	95.238	95.977	96.915	107.100	111.754	109.569	107.062	115.092	126.608	130.723	133.008	131.954	132.869	137.908	141.685	144.615	145.354	150.577	153.923	153.562	159.515	165.538	171.231	178.262	177.023	179.123	188.012	227.671	243.778	239.233	274.546	292.718	288.892	290.596	289.976	294.444	301.566	298.500	297.405	304.089

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Buying power of $20 since 1939

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Margarine, over time, for $20 beginning in 1939. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Year	USD Value	Inflation Rate
1939	$20.00	-
1940	$19.51	-2.43%
1941	$21.12	8.26%
1942	$27.51	30.23%
1943	$28.24	2.64%
1944	$28.13	-0.36%
1945	$28.12	-0.05%
1946	$32.93	17.11%
1947	$47.50	44.25%
1948	$48.11	1.27%
1949	$35.72	-25.75%
1950	$35.06	-1.85%
1951	$39.27	12.01%
1952	$33.39	-14.97%
1953	$33.60	0.63%
1954	$33.90	0.91%
1955	$32.85	-3.10%
1956	$33.08	0.68%
1957	$34.36	3.88%
1958	$33.69	-1.94%
1959	$32.22	-4.37%
1960	$31.07	-3.58%
1961	$33.11	6.59%
1962	$32.91	-0.61%
1963	$31.91	-3.04%
1964	$31.90	-0.02%
1965	$34.06	6.78%
1966	$34.95	2.60%
1967	$35.05	0.29%
1968	$34.54	-1.47%
1969	$34.45	-0.25%
1970	$37.17	7.90%
1971	$40.65	9.35%
1972	$41.24	1.46%
1973	$46.75	13.36%
1974	$71.81	53.60%
1975	$78.72	9.62%
1976	$65.99	-16.16%
1977	$72.09	9.24%
1978	$79.25	9.93%
1979	$84.21	6.26%
1980	$87.51	3.92%
1981	$89.85	2.67%
1982	$90.54	0.78%
1983	$91.43	0.98%
1984	$101.04	10.51%
1985	$105.43	4.35%
1986	$103.37	-1.95%
1987	$101.00	-2.29%
1988	$108.58	7.50%
1989	$119.44	10.01%
1990	$123.32	3.25%
1991	$125.48	1.75%
1992	$124.48	-0.79%
1993	$125.35	0.69%
1994	$130.10	3.79%
1995	$133.66	2.74%
1996	$136.43	2.07%
1997	$137.13	0.51%
1998	$142.05	3.59%
1999	$145.21	2.22%
2000	$144.87	-0.23%
2001	$150.49	3.88%
2002	$156.17	3.78%
2003	$161.54	3.44%
2004	$168.17	4.11%
2005	$167.00	-0.69%
2006	$168.98	1.19%
2007	$177.37	4.96%
2008	$214.78	21.09%
2009	$229.98	7.07%
2010	$225.69	-1.86%
2011	$259.01	14.76%
2012	$276.15	6.62%
2013	$272.54	-1.31%
2014	$274.15	0.59%
2015	$273.56	-0.21%
2016	$277.78	1.54%
2017	$284.50	2.42%
2018	$281.60	-1.02%
2019	$280.57	-0.37%
2020	$286.88	2.25%*

* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.

How to calculate the inflation rate for margarine, 1939-2020

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2020 / CPI in 1939 * 1939 USD value = 2020 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for Margarine was 21.200 in the year 1939 and 304.089 in 2020:

304.089 / 21.200 * $20 = $286.88

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $20 in 1939 has the same "purchasing power" as $286.88 in 2020 (in the CPI category of Margarine).

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for Margarine in 1939. In addition to margarine, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.