According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $53,485,028,094,233.48 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 $2,948,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $56,433,028,094,233.48 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 $2,948,000,000,000 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 | $2,948,000,000,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $3,059,949,367,088.61 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $3,321,164,556,962.03 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $3,300,433,192,686.36 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $3,296,286,919,831.22 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $3,296,286,919,831.22 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $3,495,308,016,877.64 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $3,825,734,069,025.21 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $4,265,876,879,800.93 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $4,584,820,945,580.44 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $4,702,830,249,918.86 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $5,004,232,392,080.49 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $5,334,339,500,162.29 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $5,487,432,651,736.45 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $5,407,696,635,291.57 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $5,342,313,101,806.77 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $5,437,996,321,540.63 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $5,740,993,184,031.16 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $5,930,764,903,169.97 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $6,176,351,833,820.19 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $6,174,757,113,491.29 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $6,244,924,807,962.78 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $6,375,691,874,932.38 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $6,410,775,722,168.13 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $6,506,458,941,901.98 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $6,613,305,203,938.12 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $6,707,393,703,343.07 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $6,898,760,142,810.78 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $7,118,831,548,198.64 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $7,393,123,444,769.02 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $7,772,666,883,046.63 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $8,180,915,287,244.40 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $8,276,598,506,978.25 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $8,538,132,640,917.45 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $9,494,964,838,255.98 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $10,386,413,502,109.70 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $11,419,792,275,235.32 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $12,225,126,041,328.58 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $12,797,630,639,402.79 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $14,621,990,695,661.58 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $17,226,168,992,751.27 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $19,312,063,182,949.26 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $20,107,828,627,069.14 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $20,587,839,446,067.30 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $21,501,614,194,525.59 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $22,069,334,631,613.12 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $21,211,375,094,666.24 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $21,852,452,666,883.05 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $22,527,019,366,006.71 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $23,654,486,638,537.28 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $24,984,483,392,837.83 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $25,671,807,854,592.67 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $26,233,149,410,364.60 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $27,025,725,413,826.68 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $27,842,222,222,222.23 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $28,838,922,427,783.19 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $29,652,229,795,520.94 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $29,910,574,488,802.34 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $29,346,043,492,372.62 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $29,936,090,014,064.70 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $31,787,560,315,914.75 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $31,978,926,755,382.46 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $31,690,282,375,852.00 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $32,664,656,496,808.40 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $33,812,855,133,614.64 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $36,053,437,195,715.68 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $37,495,064,373,039.06 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $38,287,018,435,572.87 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $40,540,039,316,239.32 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $37,161,464,827,436.98 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $40,093,613,307,367.74 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $44,026,369,057,665.27 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $45,057,004,911,825.17 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $45,072,393,962,999.04 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $44,767,148,544,844.75 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $41,269,225,186,627.72 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $40,404,105,355,404.10 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $41,787,190,349,453.64 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $43,673,425,554,473.66 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $43,550,010,148,220.28 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $41,739,332,792,383.43 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $47,818,342,897,327.71 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $55,213,810,580,980.21 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $55,348,261,451,909.56 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $56,116,741,231,201.99 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $56,433,028,094,233.48 | 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 |