According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $27,214,227,320,675,108 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 $1,500,000,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $28,714,227,320,675,108 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 $1,500,000,000,000,000 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 | $1,500,000,000,000,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $1,556,962,025,316,455.75 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $1,689,873,417,721,519.00 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $1,679,324,894,514,767.75 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $1,677,215,189,873,418.00 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $1,677,215,189,873,418.00 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $1,778,481,012,658,227.75 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $1,946,608,244,076,598.75 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $2,170,561,506,004,544.25 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $2,332,846,478,416,099.00 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $2,392,891,918,208,374.00 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $2,546,251,217,137,293.00 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $2,714,216,163,583,252.50 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $2,792,112,950,340,798.50 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $2,751,541,707,237,910.00 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $2,718,273,287,893,541.00 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $2,766,958,779,617,008.00 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $2,921,129,503,407,985.50 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $3,017,689,061,992,860.00 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $3,142,648,490,749,757.00 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $3,141,837,065,887,699.00 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $3,177,539,759,818,241.50 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $3,244,076,598,506,978.50 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $3,261,927,945,472,249.50 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $3,310,613,437,195,715.00 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $3,364,978,902,953,587.00 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $3,412,852,969,814,995.00 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $3,510,223,953,261,928.50 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $3,622,200,584,225,901.00 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $3,761,765,660,499,838.50 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $3,954,884,777,669,588.00 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $4,162,609,542,356,378.00 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $4,211,295,034,079,844.00 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $4,344,368,711,457,319.00 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $4,831,223,628,691,983.00 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $5,284,810,126,582,278.00 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $5,810,613,437,195,717.00 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $6,220,382,992,534,892.00 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $6,511,684,518,013,633.00 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $7,439,954,560,207,725.00 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $8,765,011,359,948,070.00 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $9,826,355,079,519,638.00 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $10,231,256,085,686,468.00 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $10,475,494,969,165,856.00 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $10,940,441,415,124,958.00 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $11,229,308,666,017,528.00 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $10,792,762,090,230,444.00 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $11,118,954,884,777,670.00 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $11,462,187,601,428,108.00 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $12,035,864,978,902,952.00 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $12,712,593,313,859,138.00 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $13,062,317,429,406,036.00 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $13,347,938,980,850,374.00 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $13,751,217,137,293,086.00 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $14,166,666,666,666,670.00 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $14,673,807,205,452,776.00 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $15,087,633,885,102,242.00 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $15,219,084,712,755,602.00 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $14,931,840,311,587,148.00 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $15,232,067,510,548,524.00 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $16,174,131,775,397,598.00 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $16,271,502,758,844,534.00 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $16,124,634,858,812,072.00 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $16,620,415,449,529,374.00 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $17,204,641,350,210,974.00 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $18,344,693,281,402,144.00 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $19,078,221,356,702,372.00 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $19,481,183,057,448,880.00 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $20,627,564,102,564,108.00 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $18,908,479,389,808,504.00 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $20,400,413,826,679,652.00 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $22,401,476,793,248,948.00 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $22,925,884,453,099,644.00 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $22,933,714,703,018,500.00 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $22,778,399,870,172,024.00 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $20,998,588,120,740,020.00 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $20,558,398,247,322,300.00 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $21,262,138,915,936,388.00 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $22,221,892,242,778,320.00 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $22,159,096,072,703,668.00 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $21,237,788,055,826,036.00 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $24,330,907,172,995,784.00 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $28,093,865,628,042,848.00 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $28,162,276,858,162,940.00 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $28,553,294,384,939,956.00 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $28,714,227,320,675,108.00 | 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 |