Electricity price history from 1978 through 2020

Electricity Inflation Calculator

Prices for Electricity, 1978-2020 ($100)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for electricity were 252.76% higher in 2020 versus 1978 (a $252.76 difference in value).

Between 1978 and 2020: Electricity experienced an average inflation rate of 3.05% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, electricity costing $100 in the year 1978 would cost $352.76 in 2020 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.34% during this same period, inflation for electricity was lower.

In the year 1978: Pricing changed by 7.40%, which is significantly above the average yearly change for electricity during the 1978-2020 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1978 (7.63%), inflation for electricity was lower.

Price Inflation for Electricity since 1913

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Years with the largest changes in pricing: 1974 (18.07%), 1980 (15.70%), and 1981 (15%).

Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Electricity:

Year	1913	1914	1915	1916	1917	1918	1919	1920	1921	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	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
CPI	45.500	44.250	42.950	41.850	40.750	41.433	42.500	42.667	43.300	42.740	41.900	41.600	41.067	40.533	39.933	39.133	37.767	37.133	36.533	36.267	35.567	33.000	31.620	30.533	29.800	29.400	28.920	28.620	28.415	28.300	28.254	28.185	28.031	26.977	26.612	26.900	27.100	27.200	27.400	27.646	27.992	28.138	28.462	28.577	28.715	29.077	29.492	29.854	29.900	29.946	29.938	29.785	29.662	29.669	29.923	30.192	30.754	31.785	33.885	35.577	37.369	44.123	49.962	53.131	56.646	60.838	65.538	75.831	87.208	95.823	98.915	105.262	108.938	110.400	110.023	111.531	114.669	117.354	121.777	124.177	126.654	126.708	129.577	131.754	132.454	127.354	126.454	128.477	137.792	136.231	139.485	142.085	150.823	169.169	175.825	187.146	192.712	193.095	196.737	196.630	200.750	208.020	209.191	206.983	211.437	212.932	213.362	214.615

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Buying power of $100 since 1978

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Electricity, over time, for $100 beginning in 1978. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Year	USD Value	Inflation Rate
1978	$100.00	7.40%
1979	$107.73	7.73%
1980	$124.64	15.70%
1981	$143.34	15.00%
1982	$157.50	9.88%
1983	$162.59	3.23%
1984	$173.02	6.42%
1985	$179.06	3.49%
1986	$181.46	1.34%
1987	$180.84	-0.34%
1988	$183.32	1.37%
1989	$188.48	2.81%
1990	$192.89	2.34%
1991	$200.16	3.77%
1992	$204.11	1.97%
1993	$208.18	1.99%
1994	$208.27	0.04%
1995	$212.99	2.26%
1996	$216.56	1.68%
1997	$217.71	0.53%
1998	$209.33	-3.85%
1999	$207.85	-0.71%
2000	$211.18	1.60%
2001	$226.49	7.25%
2002	$223.92	-1.13%
2003	$229.27	2.39%
2004	$233.54	1.86%
2005	$247.91	6.15%
2006	$278.06	12.16%
2007	$289.00	3.93%
2008	$307.61	6.44%
2009	$316.76	2.97%
2010	$317.39	0.20%
2011	$323.38	1.89%
2012	$323.20	-0.05%
2013	$329.97	2.10%
2014	$341.92	3.62%
2015	$343.85	0.56%
2016	$340.22	-1.06%
2017	$347.54	2.15%
2018	$350.00	0.71%
2019	$350.70	0.20%
2020	$352.76	0.59%*

* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.

How to calculate the inflation rate for electricity, 1978-2020

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2020 / CPI in 1978 * 1978 USD value = 2020 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for Electricity was 60.838 in the year 1978 and 214.615 in 2020:

214.615 / 60.838 * $100 = $352.76

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $100 in 1978 has the same "purchasing power" as $352.76 in 2020 (in the CPI category of Electricity).

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for Electricity in 1913. In addition to electricity, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.