According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $2,558,137,368,143.46 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 $141,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $2,699,137,368,143.46 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 $141,000,000,000 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 | $141,000,000,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $146,354,430,379.75 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $158,848,101,265.82 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $157,856,540,084.39 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $157,658,227,848.10 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $157,658,227,848.10 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $167,177,215,189.87 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $182,981,174,943.20 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $204,032,781,564.43 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $219,287,568,971.11 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $224,931,840,311.59 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $239,347,614,410.91 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $255,136,319,376.83 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $262,458,617,332.04 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $258,644,920,480.36 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $255,517,689,061.99 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $260,094,125,284.00 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $274,586,173,320.35 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $283,662,771,827.33 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $295,408,958,130.48 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $295,332,684,193.44 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $298,688,737,422.91 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $304,943,200,259.66 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $306,621,226,874.39 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $311,197,663,096.40 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $316,308,016,877.64 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $320,808,179,162.61 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $329,961,051,606.62 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $340,486,854,917.23 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $353,605,972,086.98 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $371,759,169,100.94 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $391,285,296,981.50 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $395,861,733,203.51 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $408,370,658,876.99 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $454,135,021,097.05 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $496,772,151,898.73 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $546,197,663,096.40 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $584,716,001,298.28 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $612,098,344,693.28 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $699,355,728,659.53 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $823,911,067,835.12 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $923,677,377,474.85 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $961,738,072,054.53 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $984,696,527,101.59 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $1,028,401,493,021.75 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $1,055,555,014,605.65 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $1,014,519,636,481.66 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $1,045,181,759,169.10 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $1,077,445,634,534.24 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $1,131,371,308,016.88 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $1,194,983,771,502.76 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $1,227,857,838,364.17 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $1,254,706,264,199.94 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $1,292,614,410,905.55 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $1,331,666,666,666.67 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $1,379,337,877,312.56 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $1,418,237,585,199.61 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $1,430,593,962,999.03 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $1,403,592,989,289.19 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $1,431,814,345,991.56 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $1,520,368,386,887.37 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $1,529,521,259,331.39 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $1,515,715,676,728.34 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $1,562,319,052,255.76 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $1,617,236,286,919.83 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $1,724,401,168,451.80 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $1,793,352,807,530.02 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $1,831,231,207,400.19 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $1,938,991,025,641.03 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $1,777,397,062,642.00 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $1,917,638,899,707.89 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $2,105,738,818,565.40 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $2,155,033,138,591.37 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $2,155,769,182,083.74 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $2,141,169,587,796.17 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $1,973,867,283,349.56 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $1,932,489,435,248.30 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $1,998,641,058,098.02 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $2,088,857,870,821.16 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $2,082,955,030,834.15 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $1,996,352,077,247.65 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $2,287,105,274,261.60 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $2,640,823,369,036.03 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $2,647,254,024,667.32 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $2,684,009,672,184.36 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $2,699,137,368,143.46 | 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 |