According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $6,914,228,021.27 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 $381,100,000 in the year 1940 would cost $7,295,328,021.27 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 $381,100,000 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 | $381,100,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $395,572,151.90 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $429,340,506.33 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $426,660,478.20 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $426,124,472.57 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $426,124,472.57 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $451,852,742.62 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $494,568,267.88 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $551,467,326.63 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $592,698,528.62 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $607,954,073.35 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $646,917,559.23 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $689,591,853.29 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $709,382,830.25 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $699,075,029.75 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $690,622,633.34 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $702,991,993.94 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $742,161,635.83 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $766,694,201.02 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $798,442,226.55 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $798,236,070.54 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $807,306,934.98 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $824,211,727.79 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $828,747,160.01 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $841,116,520.61 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $854,928,973.28 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $867,092,177.86 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $891,830,899.06 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $920,280,428.43 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $955,739,262.14 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $1,004,804,392.51 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $1,057,580,331.06 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $1,069,949,691.66 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $1,103,759,277.29 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $1,227,452,883.26 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $1,342,694,092.83 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $1,476,283,187.28 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $1,580,391,972.30 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $1,654,401,979.88 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $1,890,244,455.26 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $2,226,897,219.52 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $2,496,549,280.54 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $2,599,421,129.50 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $2,661,474,088.50 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $2,779,601,482.20 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $2,852,993,021.75 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $2,742,081,088.39 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $2,824,955,804.39 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $2,912,159,796.60 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $3,057,912,095.64 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $3,229,846,207.94 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $3,318,699,448.23 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $3,391,266,363.73 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $3,493,725,900.68 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $3,599,277,777.78 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $3,728,125,284.00 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $3,833,264,849.07 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $3,866,662,122.69 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $3,793,682,895.16 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $3,869,960,618.85 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $4,109,307,746.40 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $4,134,046,467.60 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $4,096,732,229.80 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $4,222,693,551.88 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $4,371,125,879.04 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $4,660,775,073.03 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $4,847,140,106.03 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $4,949,519,242.13 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $5,240,776,452.99 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $4,804,014,330.30 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $5,183,065,139.57 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $5,691,468,537.27 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $5,824,703,043.38 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $5,826,692,448.88 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $5,787,232,127.02 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $5,335,041,288.54 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $5,223,203,714.70 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $5,402,000,760.58 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $5,645,842,089.15 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $5,629,887,675.54 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $5,395,814,018.72 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $6,181,672,482.42 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $7,137,714,793.90 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $7,155,095,807.10 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $7,254,440,326.73 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $7,295,328,021.27 | 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 |