With the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing I was curious about how things have changed monetarily since 1969. I located some interesting information that I wanted to share.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, today's prices in 2019 are 597.94% higher than average prices throughout 1969. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 3.96% per year during this period, meaning the real value of a dollar decreased.
In other words, $100 in 1969 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $697.94 in 2019, a difference of $597.94 over 50 years.
The 1969 inflation rate was 5.46%. The current inflation rate (2018 to 2019) is now 1.65%1. If this number holds, $100 today will be equivalent in buying power to $101.65 next year. The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest official inflation rates.
USD Inflation since 1913
Annual Rate, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
This chart shows calculation of buying power equivalence, often referred to as "the value of a dollar" over time for $100 in 1969 (price index tracking began in 1635).
Inflation by City
Inflation can vary widely by city, even within the United States. Here's how some cities fared in 1969 to 2019 (figures shown are purchasing power equivalents of $100):
San Francisco, California: 4.30% average rate, $100 → $821.89, cumulative change of 721.89%
Seattle, Washington: 4.18% average rate, $100 → $773.68, cumulative change of 673.68%
Boston, Massachusetts: 4.09% average rate, $100 → $743.52, cumulative change of 643.52%
New York: 4.04% average rate, $100 → $723.01, cumulative change of 623.01%
Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas: 3.87% average rate, $100 → $668.70, cumulative change of 568.70%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 3.87% average rate, $100 → $666.82, cumulative change of 566.82%
Atlanta, Georgia: 3.86% average rate, $100 → $663.28, cumulative change of 563.28%
Houston, Texas: 3.85% average rate, $100 → $661.83, cumulative change of 561.83%
Chicago, Illinois: 3.82% average rate, $100 → $652.13, cumulative change of 552.13%
Detroit, Michigan: 3.74% average rate, $100 → $626.98, cumulative change of 526.98%
San Francisco, California experienced the highest rate of inflation during the 50 years between 1969 and 2019 (4.30%).
Detroit, Michigan experienced the lowest rate of inflation during the 50 years between 1969 and 2019 (3.74%).
Inflation by Country
Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £100.00 in 1969 would be equivalent to £1,632.35 in 2019, an absolute change of £1,532.35 and a cumulative change of 1,532.35%.
In Canada, CA$100.00 in 1969 would be equivalent to CA$663.68 in 2019, an absolute change of CA$563.68 and a cumulative change of 563.68%.
Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $597.94 and total percent change of 597.94%.
Inflation by Spending Category
CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1969 and 2019.
Comparison to S&P 500 Index
The average inflation rate of 3.96% has a compounding effect between 1969 and 2019. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 597.94% over 50 years.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $100 in the S&P 500 index in 1969, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $12,498.44 in 2019. This is a return on investment of 12,398.44%, with an absolute return of $12,398.44.
These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.
The compounding effect of inflation would account for 85.67% of returns ($10,622.00) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $100 investment is $1,776.44.
Investment in S&P 500 Index, 1969-2019Original AmountFinal AmountChangeNominal$100$12,498.4412,398.44%Real
Inflation Adjusted$100$1,776.441,776.44%
News headlines from 1969
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
Golda Meir becomes first female Prime Minister of Israel.
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi deposes King Idris during the Libyan revolution.
Millions protest against the war on Vietnam Moratorium Day.
Data Source & Citation
Raw data for these calculations comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “1969 dollars in 2019 | Inflation Calculator.” U.S. Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 20 Jul. 2019, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1969.
Special thanks to QuickChart for providing downloadable chart images.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.