Where the numbers come from
Every figure on this site comes from a public U.S. government source.
Inflation and dollar values
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), annual averages, 1913–2025. A dollar from year A is converted to year B by multiplying by CPI(B) / CPI(A).
Gasoline
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Leaded regular, 1949–1990 (Monthly Energy Review, Table 9.4); U.S. regular gasoline, all formulations, annual average, 1992–2025. The two series are not identical, and 1991 has no comparable figure.
Home prices
U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States, first-quarter value of each year, published through FRED by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Minimum wage
U.S. Department of Labor, history of federal minimum wage rates. Rate shown is the rate in effect at the end of each year.
Postage
U.S. Postal Service, first-class mail rate history (1 oz letter), rate at the end of each year.
Limits
All figures are national averages or federal rates. Prices in your town, and your own costs, may have been higher or lower. Nothing on this site is financial advice.