According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $7,257,127,285.51 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 $400,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $7,657,127,285.51 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 $400,000,000 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 | $400,000,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $415,189,873.42 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $450,632,911.39 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $447,819,971.87 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $447,257,383.97 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $447,257,383.97 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $474,261,603.38 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $519,095,531.75 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $578,816,401.60 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $622,092,394.24 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $638,104,511.52 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $679,000,324.57 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $723,790,976.96 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $744,563,453.42 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $733,744,455.26 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $724,872,876.77 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $737,855,674.56 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $778,967,867.58 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $804,717,083.20 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $838,039,597.53 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $837,823,217.57 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $847,343,935.95 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $865,087,092.94 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $869,847,452.13 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $882,830,249.92 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $897,327,707.45 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $910,094,125.28 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $936,059,720.87 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $965,920,155.79 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $1,003,137,509.47 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $1,054,635,940.71 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $1,110,029,211.30 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $1,123,012,009.09 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $1,158,498,323.06 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $1,288,326,300.98 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $1,409,282,700.42 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $1,549,496,916.59 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $1,658,768,798.01 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $1,736,449,204.80 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $1,983,987,882.72 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $2,337,336,362.65 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $2,620,361,354.54 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $2,728,334,956.18 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $2,793,465,325.11 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $2,917,451,044.03 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $2,994,482,310.94 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $2,878,069,890.73 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $2,965,054,635.94 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $3,056,583,360.38 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $3,209,563,994.37 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $3,390,024,883.70 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $3,483,284,647.84 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $3,559,450,394.89 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $3,666,991,236.61 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $3,777,777,777.78 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $3,913,015,254.79 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $4,023,369,036.03 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $4,058,422,590.07 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $3,981,824,083.09 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $4,061,884,669.48 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $4,313,101,806.77 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $4,339,067,402.36 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $4,299,902,629.02 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $4,432,110,786.54 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $4,587,904,360.06 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $4,891,918,208.37 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $5,087,525,695.12 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $5,194,982,148.65 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $5,500,683,760.68 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $5,042,261,170.62 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $5,440,110,353.78 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $5,973,727,144.87 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $6,113,569,187.49 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $6,115,657,254.14 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $6,074,239,965.38 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $5,599,623,498.86 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $5,482,239,532.62 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $5,669,903,710.92 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $5,925,837,931.41 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $5,909,092,286.05 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $5,663,410,148.22 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $6,488,241,912.80 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $7,491,697,500.81 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $7,509,940,495.51 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $7,614,211,835.98 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $7,657,127,285.51 | 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 |