According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $134,256,854,781,997.20 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 $7,400,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $141,656,854,781,997.19 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 $7,400,000,000,000 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 | $7,400,000,000,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $7,681,012,658,227.85 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $8,336,708,860,759.49 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $8,284,669,479,606.19 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $8,274,261,603,375.53 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $8,274,261,603,375.53 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $8,773,839,662,447.26 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $9,603,267,337,444.56 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $10,708,103,429,622.42 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $11,508,709,293,519.42 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $11,804,933,463,161.31 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $12,561,506,004,543.98 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $13,390,133,073,677.38 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $13,774,423,888,347.94 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $13,574,272,422,373.69 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $13,410,148,220,274.80 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $13,650,329,979,443.91 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $14,410,905,550,146.06 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $14,887,266,039,164.77 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $15,503,732,554,365.47 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $15,499,729,525,045.98 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $15,675,862,815,103.33 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $16,004,111,219,301.10 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $16,092,177,864,329.77 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $16,332,359,623,498.87 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $16,600,562,587,904.36 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $16,836,741,317,753.98 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $17,317,104,836,092.18 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $17,869,522,882,181.11 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $18,558,043,925,132.54 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $19,510,764,903,169.97 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $20,535,540,408,958.13 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $20,775,722,168,127.23 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $21,432,218,976,522.77 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $23,834,036,568,213.79 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $26,071,729,957,805.91 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $28,665,692,956,832.21 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $30,687,222,763,172.14 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $32,124,310,288,867.26 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $36,703,775,830,358.11 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $43,240,722,709,077.15 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $48,476,685,058,963.55 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $50,474,196,689,386.57 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $51,679,108,514,551.56 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $53,972,844,314,616.47 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $55,397,922,752,353.14 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $53,244,292,978,470.19 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $54,853,510,764,903.17 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $56,546,792,167,045.34 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $59,376,933,895,921.24 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $62,715,460,348,371.74 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $64,440,765,985,069.78 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $65,849,832,305,528.52 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $67,839,337,877,312.57 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $69,888,888,888,888.91 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $72,390,782,213,567.03 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $74,432,327,166,504.39 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $75,080,817,916,260.97 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $73,663,745,537,163.27 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $75,144,866,385,372.72 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $79,792,383,425,294.81 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $80,272,746,943,633.02 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $79,548,198,636,806.23 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $81,994,049,551,011.59 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $84,876,230,661,040.81 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $90,500,486,854,917.23 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $94,119,225,359,731.69 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $96,107,169,750,081.14 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $101,762,649,572,649.59 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $93,281,831,656,388.63 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $100,642,041,544,952.94 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $110,513,952,180,028.14 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $113,101,029,968,624.92 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $113,139,659,201,557.95 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $112,373,439,359,515.31 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $103,593,034,728,984.09 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $101,421,431,353,456.69 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $104,893,218,651,952.84 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $109,628,001,731,039.72 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $109,318,207,292,004.77 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $104,773,087,742,075.13 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $120,032,475,386,779.20 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $138,596,403,765,011.41 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $138,933,899,166,937.16 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $140,862,918,965,703.78 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $141,656,854,781,997.19 | 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 |