According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $2,271,117,984,001.41 difference in value).
Between 1940 and 2025: Transportation experienced an average inflation rate of 3.53% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, transportation costing $125,180,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $2,396,297,984,001.41 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.75% during this same period, inflation for transportation was lower.
In the year 1940: Pricing changed by -0.56%, which is significantly below the average yearly change for transportation during the 1940-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1940 (0.72%), inflation for transportation was lower.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Transportation, over time, for $125,180,000,000 beginning in 1940. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | $125,180,000,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $129,933,670,886.08 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $141,025,569,620.25 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $140,145,260,196.91 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $139,969,198,312.24 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $139,969,198,312.24 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $148,420,168,776.37 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $162,450,946,662.34 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $181,140,592,881.10 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $194,683,814,778.75 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $199,694,806,880.88 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $212,493,151,574.16 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $226,510,386,238.23 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $233,011,132,749.11 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $229,625,327,274.69 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $226,848,966,785.68 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $230,911,933,354.97 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $243,777,994,157.74 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $251,836,211,186.84 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $262,264,492,048.04 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $262,196,775,938.55 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $265,176,284,756.03 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $270,729,005,734.07 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $272,218,760,142.81 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $276,281,726,712.11 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $280,818,706,047.82 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $284,813,956,507.63 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $292,939,889,646.22 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $302,284,712,755.60 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $313,931,883,587.58 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $330,048,317,645.79 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $347,383,641,674.78 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $351,446,608,244.08 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $362,552,050,200.15 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $403,181,715,893.11 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $441,035,021,097.05 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $484,915,060,045.44 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $519,111,695,337.01 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $543,421,778,643.30 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $620,889,007,897.87 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $731,469,414,692.20 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $820,042,085,902.85 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $853,832,424,537.49 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $874,214,973,493.45 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $913,016,304,230.23 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $937,123,239,208.05 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $900,691,972,303.36 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $927,913,848,317.65 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $956,557,762,631.18 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $1,004,433,052,039.38 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $1,060,908,287,352.59 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $1,090,093,930,542.03 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $1,113,930,001,081.90 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $1,147,584,907,497.57 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $1,182,255,555,555.56 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $1,224,578,123,985.72 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $1,259,113,339,824.73 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $1,270,083,349,561.83 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $1,246,111,846,802.99 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $1,271,166,807,313.64 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $1,349,785,210,429.51 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $1,357,911,143,568.11 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $1,345,654,527,750.73 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $1,387,029,070,648.06 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $1,435,784,669,479.61 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $1,530,925,803,310.61 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $1,592,141,166,288.00 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $1,625,769,663,420.97 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $1,721,438,982,905.98 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $1,577,975,633,344.15 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $1,702,482,535,215.84 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $1,869,477,909,985.94 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $1,913,241,477,226.01 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $1,913,894,937,682.57 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $1,900,933,397,165.42 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $1,752,402,173,969.49 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $1,715,666,861,733.20 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $1,774,396,366,331.28 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $1,854,490,980,633.99 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $1,849,250,430,920.70 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $1,772,364,205,885.54 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $2,030,495,306,610.41 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $2,344,526,732,878.94 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $2,350,235,878,069.89 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $2,382,867,594,071.19 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $2,396,297,984,001.41 | 0.56%* |
* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.
Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Transportation:
| Year | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 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 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| CPI | 14.200 | 14.267 | 14.560 | 14.620 | 14.300 | 14.220 | 14.760 | 16.020 | 15.920 | 15.900 | 15.900 | 16.860 | 18.454 | 20.577 | 22.115 | 22.685 | 24.138 | 25.731 | 26.469 | 26.085 | 25.769 | 26.231 | 27.692 | 28.608 | 29.792 | 29.785 | 30.123 | 30.754 | 30.923 | 31.385 | 31.900 | 32.354 | 33.277 | 34.338 | 35.662 | 37.492 | 39.462 | 39.923 | 41.185 | 45.800 | 50.100 | 55.085 | 58.969 | 61.731 | 70.531 | 83.092 | 93.154 | 96.992 | 99.308 | 103.715 | 106.454 | 102.315 | 105.408 | 108.662 | 114.100 | 120.515 | 123.831 | 126.538 | 130.362 | 134.300 | 139.108 | 143.031 | 144.277 | 141.554 | 144.400 | 153.331 | 154.254 | 152.862 | 157.562 | 163.100 | 173.908 | 180.862 | 184.682 | 195.549 | 179.252 | 193.396 | 212.366 | 217.337 | 217.412 | 215.939 | 199.067 | 194.894 | 201.565 | 210.664 | 210.068 | 201.334 | 230.657 | 266.330 | 266.978 | 270.685 | 272.211 |