According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for transportation are 1,814.28% higher in 2025 versus 1940 (a $121,556,882,032,348.80 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 $6,700,000,000,000 in the year 1940 would cost $128,256,882,032,348.80 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 $6,700,000,000,000 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 | $6,700,000,000,000.00 | -0.56% |
| 1941 | $6,954,430,379,746.84 | 3.80% |
| 1942 | $7,548,101,265,822.79 | 8.54% |
| 1943 | $7,500,984,528,832.63 | -0.62% |
| 1944 | $7,491,561,181,434.60 | -0.13% |
| 1945 | $7,491,561,181,434.60 | 0.00% ** |
| 1946 | $7,943,881,856,540.09 | 6.04% |
| 1947 | $8,694,850,156,875.48 | 9.45% |
| 1948 | $9,695,174,726,820.30 | 11.50% |
| 1949 | $10,420,047,603,591.91 | 7.48% |
| 1950 | $10,688,250,567,997.40 | 2.57% |
| 1951 | $11,373,255,436,546.58 | 6.41% |
| 1952 | $12,123,498,864,005.19 | 6.60% |
| 1953 | $12,471,437,844,855.57 | 2.87% |
| 1954 | $12,290,219,625,662.67 | -1.45% |
| 1955 | $12,141,620,685,924.49 | -1.21% |
| 1956 | $12,359,082,548,955.97 | 1.79% |
| 1957 | $13,047,711,781,889.00 | 5.57% |
| 1958 | $13,479,011,143,568.11 | 3.31% |
| 1959 | $14,037,163,258,682.25 | 4.14% |
| 1960 | $14,033,538,894,298.39 | -0.03% |
| 1961 | $14,193,010,927,188.15 | 1.14% |
| 1962 | $14,490,208,806,664.51 | 2.09% |
| 1963 | $14,569,944,823,109.38 | 0.55% |
| 1964 | $14,787,406,686,140.86 | 1.49% |
| 1965 | $15,030,239,099,859.36 | 1.64% |
| 1966 | $15,244,076,598,506.98 | 1.42% |
| 1967 | $15,679,000,324,569.95 | 2.85% |
| 1968 | $16,179,162,609,542.36 | 3.19% |
| 1969 | $16,802,553,283,565.94 | 3.85% |
| 1970 | $17,665,152,006,924.16 | 5.13% |
| 1971 | $18,592,989,289,191.82 | 5.25% |
| 1972 | $18,810,451,152,223.31 | 1.17% |
| 1973 | $19,404,846,911,176.03 | 3.16% |
| 1974 | $21,579,465,541,490.86 | 11.21% |
| 1975 | $23,605,485,232,067.51 | 9.39% |
| 1976 | $25,954,073,352,807.54 | 9.95% |
| 1977 | $27,784,377,366,655.85 | 7.05% |
| 1978 | $29,085,524,180,460.90 | 4.68% |
| 1979 | $33,231,797,035,594.51 | 14.26% |
| 1980 | $39,150,384,074,434.71 | 17.81% |
| 1981 | $43,891,052,688,521.05 | 12.11% |
| 1982 | $45,699,610,516,066.22 | 4.12% |
| 1983 | $46,790,544,195,607.49 | 2.39% |
| 1984 | $48,867,304,987,558.16 | 4.44% |
| 1985 | $50,157,578,708,211.62 | 2.64% |
| 1986 | $48,207,670,669,695.98 | -3.89% |
| 1987 | $49,664,665,152,006.92 | 3.02% |
| 1988 | $51,197,771,286,378.88 | 3.09% |
| 1989 | $53,760,196,905,766.53 | 5.00% |
| 1990 | $56,782,916,801,904.16 | 5.62% |
| 1991 | $58,345,017,851,346.96 | 2.75% |
| 1992 | $59,620,794,114,465.00 | 2.19% |
| 1993 | $61,422,103,213,242.45 | 3.02% |
| 1994 | $63,277,777,777,777.79 | 3.02% |
| 1995 | $65,543,005,517,689.06 | 3.58% |
| 1996 | $67,391,431,353,456.68 | 2.82% |
| 1997 | $67,978,578,383,641.68 | 0.87% |
| 1998 | $66,695,553,391,755.94 | -1.89% |
| 1999 | $68,036,568,213,783.41 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | $72,244,455,263,442.61 | 6.18% |
| 2001 | $72,679,378,989,505.58 | 0.60% |
| 2002 | $72,023,369,036,027.27 | -0.90% |
| 2003 | $74,237,855,674,564.55 | 3.07% |
| 2004 | $76,847,398,030,942.34 | 3.52% |
| 2005 | $81,939,629,990,262.91 | 6.63% |
| 2006 | $85,216,055,393,270.59 | 4.00% |
| 2007 | $87,015,950,989,938.33 | 2.11% |
| 2008 | $92,136,452,991,453.02 | 5.88% |
| 2009 | $84,457,874,607,811.33 | -8.33% |
| 2010 | $91,121,848,425,835.78 | 7.89% |
| 2011 | $100,059,929,676,511.95 | 9.81% |
| 2012 | $102,402,283,890,511.77 | 2.34% |
| 2013 | $102,437,259,006,815.98 | 0.03% |
| 2014 | $101,743,519,420,101.70 | -0.68% |
| 2015 | $93,793,693,605,972.09 | -7.81% |
| 2016 | $91,827,512,171,372.95 | -2.10% |
| 2017 | $94,970,887,157,849.20 | 3.42% |
| 2018 | $99,257,785,351,076.50 | 4.51% |
| 2019 | $98,977,295,791,409.72 | -0.28% |
| 2020 | $94,862,119,982,689.63 | -4.16% |
| 2021 | $108,678,052,039,381.16 | 14.56% |
| 2022 | $125,485,933,138,591.41 | 15.47% |
| 2023 | $125,791,503,299,794.44 | 0.24% |
| 2024 | $127,538,048,252,731.80 | 1.39% |
| 2025 | $128,256,882,032,348.80 | 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 |