According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $2,975,422,187,060.48 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 $164,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $3,139,422,187,060.48 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 $164,000,000,000 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 | $164,000,000,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $170,227,848,101.27 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $184,759,493,670.89 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $183,606,188,466.95 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $183,375,527,426.16 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $183,375,527,426.16 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $194,447,257,383.97 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $212,829,168,019.04 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $237,314,724,656.50 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $255,057,881,640.16 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $261,622,849,724.12 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $278,390,133,073.68 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $296,754,300,551.77 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $305,271,015,903.93 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $300,835,226,658.01 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $297,197,879,476.36 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $302,520,826,571.46 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $319,376,825,705.94 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $329,934,004,111.22 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $343,596,234,988.64 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $343,507,519,203.72 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $347,411,013,740.13 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $354,685,708,103.43 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $356,637,455,371.63 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $361,960,402,466.73 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $367,904,360,056.26 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $373,138,591,366.44 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $383,784,485,556.64 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $396,027,263,875.37 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $411,286,378,881.32 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $432,400,735,691.87 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $455,111,976,630.96 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $460,434,923,726.06 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $474,984,312,452.67 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $528,213,783,403.66 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $577,805,907,173.00 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $635,293,735,800.07 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $680,095,207,183.81 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $711,944,173,969.49 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $813,435,031,916.04 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $958,307,908,687.66 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $1,074,348,155,360.81 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $1,118,617,332,035.05 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $1,145,320,783,295.47 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $1,196,154,928,053.66 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $1,227,737,747,484.58 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $1,180,008,655,198.53 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $1,215,672,400,735.69 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $1,253,199,177,756.14 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $1,315,921,237,693.39 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $1,389,910,202,315.27 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $1,428,146,705,615.06 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $1,459,374,661,906.31 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $1,503,466,407,010.71 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $1,548,888,888,888.89 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $1,604,336,254,462.84 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $1,649,581,304,771.18 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $1,663,953,261,927.95 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $1,632,547,874,066.86 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $1,665,372,714,486.64 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $1,768,371,740,776.80 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $1,779,017,634,967.00 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $1,762,960,077,896.79 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $1,817,165,422,481.88 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $1,881,040,787,623.07 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $2,005,686,465,433.30 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $2,085,885,534,999.46 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $2,129,942,680,947.74 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $2,255,280,341,880.34 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $2,067,327,079,952.40 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $2,230,445,245,050.31 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $2,449,228,129,395.22 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $2,506,563,366,872.23 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $2,507,419,474,196.69 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $2,490,438,385,805.47 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $2,295,845,634,534.24 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $2,247,718,208,373.91 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $2,324,660,521,475.71 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $2,429,593,551,877.10 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $2,422,727,837,282.27 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $2,321,998,160,770.31 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $2,660,179,184,247.54 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $3,071,595,975,332.68 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $3,079,075,603,159.15 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $3,121,826,852,753.44 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $3,139,422,187,060.48 | 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 |