According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $31,187,894,018,047.98 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 $1,719,021,469,021.50 in the year 1940 would cost $32,906,915,487,069.48 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 $1,719,021,469,021.50 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 | $1,719,021,469,021.50 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $1,784,300,765,313.46 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $1,936,619,123,328.02 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $1,924,530,364,755.43 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $1,922,112,613,040.92 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $1,922,112,613,040.92 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $2,038,164,695,337.73 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $2,230,840,908,894.61 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $2,487,494,552,435.63 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $2,673,475,453,552.32 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $2,742,288,386,965.49 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $2,918,040,338,520.76 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $3,110,530,571,176.52 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $3,199,801,403,712.53 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $3,153,306,178,433.36 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $3,115,180,093,704.44 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $3,170,974,364,039.44 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $3,347,656,220,100.29 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $3,458,314,856,264.72 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $3,601,520,150,124.56 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $3,600,590,245,618.98 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $3,641,506,043,864.65 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $3,717,758,213,322.49 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $3,738,216,112,445.33 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $3,794,010,382,780.33 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $3,856,313,984,654.42 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $3,911,178,350,483.84 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $4,022,766,891,153.85 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $4,151,093,712,924.36 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $4,311,037,287,884.71 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $4,532,354,560,213.56 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $4,770,410,113,642.92 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $4,826,204,383,977.92 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $4,978,708,722,893.60 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $5,536,651,426,243.65 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $6,056,468,044,864.78 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $6,659,046,164,482.83 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $7,128,647,939,802.46 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $7,462,483,657,306.90 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $8,526,294,411,694.33 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $10,044,828,469,312.04 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $11,261,143,562,615.15 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $11,725,165,910,901.28 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $12,005,067,167,081.88 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $12,537,902,448,781.18 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $12,868,948,452,768.88 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $12,368,659,828,765.00 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $12,742,481,440,009.53 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $13,135,831,045,871.31 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $13,793,273,531,318.79 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $14,568,813,888,975.36 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $14,969,602,730,881.81 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $15,296,929,116,847.17 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $15,759,091,656,122.13 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $16,235,202,762,980.84 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $16,816,393,078,970.47 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $17,290,644,376,818.01 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $17,441,288,906,722.53 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $17,112,102,711,746.00 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $17,456,167,378,811.86 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $18,535,786,509,794.20 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $18,647,375,050,464.21 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $18,479,062,334,953.61 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $19,047,233,987,865.08 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $19,716,765,231,885.14 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $21,023,281,062,229.84 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $21,863,914,735,277.24 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $22,325,714,611,795.02 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $23,639,483,697,283.28 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $21,669,388,011,754.25 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $23,379,166,229,990.25 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $25,672,413,030,254.56 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $26,273,391,714,123.02 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $26,282,365,292,601.90 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $26,104,372,271,188.17 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $24,064,682,532,461.29 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $23,560,218,637,227.34 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $24,366,715,515,874.78 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $25,466,606,565,078.85 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $25,394,641,255,391.74 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $24,338,809,081,662.23 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $27,883,567,860,765.98 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $32,195,972,108,273.90 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $32,274,372,357,139.64 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $32,722,484,039,335.23 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $32,906,915,487,069.48 | 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 |