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Cost of Living Breakdown for the Last Hundred Years
Year Avg Income/yr Min. Wage/hr Gas/gal Avg Car Avg House Stamp Eggs/doz Milk/gal Bread/loaf Dow Avg.
 
1908 $915 N/A $500 $4500 $0.02 $0.32 $0.05 86
1909 $944 N/A $500 $4500 $0.02 $0.33 $0.05 99
1910 $963 N/A $500 $4800 $0.02 $0.33 $0.05 81
1911 $983 N/A $500 $4800 $0.02 $0.34 $0.05 82
1912 $1003 N/A $500 $4800 $0.02 $0.30 $0.35 $0.05 88
1913 $1034 N/A $500 $4800 $0.02 $0.32 $0.36 $0.06 79
1914 $1055 N/A $500 $4800 $0.02 $0.33 $0.36 $0.06 75
1915 $1076 N/A $500 $4800 $0.02 $0.34 $0.36 $0.07 99
1916 $1085 N/A $400 $5000 $0.02 $0.35 $0.36 $0.07 95
1917 $1100 N/A $0.24 $375 $5520 $0.02 $0.36 $0.44 $0.09 74
1918 $1115 N/A $0.25 $365 $4821 $0.02 $0.37 $0.55 $0.10 82
1919 $1125 N/A $0.25 $355 $5626 $0.02 $0.38 $0.62 $0.10 107
1920 $1130 N/A $0.30 $345 $5296 $0.02 $0.39 $0.58 $0.11 72
1921 $1145 N/A $0.26 $325 $7109 $0.02 $0.40 $0.52 $0.10 81
1922 $1155 N/A $0.25 $305 $7197 $0.02 $0.41 $0.55 $0.09 99
1923 $1176 N/A $0.22 $285 $7400 $0.02 $0.42 $0.54 $0.09 96
1924 $1244 N/A $0.21 $265 $7720 $0.02 $0.43 $0.53 $0.09 121
1925 $1324 N/A $0.22 $265 $7809 $0.02 $0.44 $0.56 $0.09 157
1926 $1427 N/A $0.23 $275 $7748 $0.02 $0.45 $0.56 $0.09 157
1927 $1472 N/A $0.21 $375 $7682 $0.02 $0.46 $0.56 $0.09 202
1928 $1515 N/A $0.22 $475 $7333 $0.02 $0.47 $0.57 $0.09 300
1929 $1582 N/A $0.25 $525 $7246 $0.02 $0.48 $0.58 $0.09 248
1930 $1612 N/A $0.25 $525 $7146 $0.02 $0.49 $0.56 $0.08 165
1931 $1527 N/A $0.21 $530 $6796 $0.02 $0.50 $0.50 $0.08 78
1932 $1431 N/A $0.18 $540 $6515 $0.03 $0.51 $0.43 $0.07 60
 
Year Avg Income/yr Min. Wage/hr Gas/gal Avg Car Avg House Stamp Eggs/doz Milk/gal Bread/loaf Dow Avg.
 
1933 $1409 N/A $0.18 $550 $5759 $0.03 $0.52 $0.41 $0.07 100
1934 $1506 N/A $0.19 $575 $5972 $0.03 $0.53 $0.45 $0.08 104
1935 $1594 N/A $0.19 $580 $6296 $0.03 $0.54 $0.47 $0.08 144
1936 $1672 N/A $0.19 $610 $6145 $0.03 $0.55 $0.48 $0.08 180
1937 $1789 N/A $0.20 $675 $6622 $0.03 $0.56 $0.50 $0.09 121
1938 $1808 $0.25 $0.20 $710 $6420 $0.03 $0.57 $0.50 $0.09 155
1939 $1837 $0.30 $0.19 $750 $6416 $0.03 $0.58 $0.49 $0.08 150
1940 $1906 $0.30 $0.18 $810 $6558 $0.03 $0.59 $0.51 $0.08 131
1941 $2059 $0.30 $0.19 $925 $6954 $0.03 $0.60 $0.34 $0.08 111
1942 $2348 $0.30 $0.20 $1100 $7573 $0.03 $0.61 $0.60 $0.09 119
1943 $2561 $0.30 $0.21 $1100 $8011 $0.03 $0.62 $0.62 $0.09 136
1944 $2675 $0.30 $0.21 $1225 $8649 $0.03 $0.63 $0.62 $0.09 152
1945 $2807 $0.40 $0.21 $1250 $10131 $0.03 $0.64 $0.62 $0.09 193
1946 $3118 $0.40 $0.21 $1400 $12638 $0.03 $0.65 $0.70 $0.10 177
1947 $3456 $0.40 $0.23 $1500 $13000 $0.03 $0.66 $0.80 $0.12 181
1948 $3671 $0.40 $0.26 $1550 $13500 $0.03 $0.67 $0.86 $0.14 177
1949 $3569 $0.40 $0.27 $1650 $14300 $0.03 $0.68 $0.84 $0.14 200
1950 $3815 $0.75 $0.27 $1750 $14500 $0.03 $0.70 $0.82 $0.14 235
1951 $4194 $0.75 $0.27 $1800 $16000 $0.03 $0.72 $0.92 $0.16 269
1952 $4457 $0.75 $0.27 $1850 $16800 $0.03 $0.73 $0.96 $0.16 292
1953 $4706 $0.75 $0.29 $1850 $17400 $0.03 $0.75 $0.94 $0.16 281
1954 $4684 $0.75 $0.29 $1950 $17500 $0.03 $0.77 $0.92 $0.17 404
1955 $4962 $0.75 $0.29 $1950 $17600 $0.03 $0.79 $0.92 $0.18 488
1956 $5341 $1.00 $0.30 $2100 $17800 $0.03 $0.81 $0.97 $0.18 499
1957 $5443 $1.00 $0.31 $2100 $18000 $0.03 $0.83 $1.00 $0.19 436

 

Year Avg Income/yr Min. Wage/hr Gas/gal Avg Car Avg House Stamp Eggs/doz Milk/gal Bread/loaf Dow Avg.
 
1958 $5565 $1.00 $0.30 $2200 $18200 $0.04 $0.85 $1.01 $0.19 584
1959 $5976 $1.00 $0.30 $2250 $18400 $0.04 $0.88 $1.01 $0.20 679
1960 $6227 $1.00 $0.31 $2275 $18500 $0.04 $0.90 $1.04 $0.20 616
1961 $6471 $1.15 $0.31 $2275 $18800 $0.04 $0.92 $1.05 $0.21 731
1962 $6670 $1.15 $0.31 $2275 $19000 $0.04 $0.94 $1.04 $0.21 652
1963 $6998 $1.25 $0.30 $2300 $19300 $0.05 $0.96 $1.04 $0.21 763
1964 $7336 $1.25 $0.30 $2350 $20500 $0.05 $0.98 $1.06 $0.21 874
1965 $7704 $1.25 $0.31 $2350 $21500 $0.05 $1.00 $1.05 $0.21 969
1966 $8395 $1.25 $0.32 $2410 $23300 $0.05 $1.05 $1.11 $0.22 786
1967 $8801 $1.40 $0.33 $2425 $24600 $0.05 $1.10 $1.15 $0.22 905
1968 $9670 $1.60 $0.34 $2450 $26600 $0.06 $1.12 $1.21 $0.22 944
1969 $10577 $1.60 $0.35 $3400 $27900 $0.06 $1.14 $1.26 $0.23 800
1970 $11106 $1.60 $0.36 $3542 $26600 $0.06 $1.16 $1.32 $0.24 839
1971 $11583 $1.60 $0.36 $3742 $28300 $0.08 $1.18 $1.32 $0.25 890
1972 $12625 $1.60 $0.36 $3879 $30500 $0.08 $1.20 $1.33 $0.25 1020
1973 $13622 $1.60 $0.39 $4052 $35500 $0.08 $1.22 $1.36 $0.27 851
1974 $14711 $2.00 $0.53 $4440 $38900 $0.10 $1.24 $1.39 $0.28 616
1975 $15546 $2.10 $0.57 $4950 $42600 $0.10 $1.26 $1.40 $0.28 852
1976 $16870 $2.30 $0.60 $5418 $48000 $0.13 $1.28 $1.42 $0.30 1005
1977 $18264 $2.30 $0.64 $5814 $54200 $0.13 $1.30 $1.44 $0.32 831
1978 $20091 $2.65 $0.65 $6379 $62500 $0.15 $1.31 $1.44   805
1979 $22316 $2.90 $0.88 $6847 $71800 $0.15 $1.32 $1.50   839
1980 $23974 $3.10 $1.22 $7574 $76400 $0.15 $1.33 $1.60 $0.51 964
1981 $25838 $3.35 $1.35 $8910 $83000 $0.18 $1.26 $1.69 $0.53 875
1982 $27391 $3.35 $1.28 $9890 $83900 $0.20 $1.11 $1.79 $0.53 1047

 

Year Avg Income/yr Min. Wage/hr Gas/gal Avg Car Avg House Stamp Eggs/doz Milk/gal Bread/loaf Dow Avg.
 
1983 $28638 $3.35 $1.23 $10606 $89800 $0.20 $1.13 $1.89 $0.54 1259
1984 $31052 $3.35 $1.20 $11450 $97600 $0.20 $1.16 $1.94 $0.54 1212
1985 $32944 $3.35 $1.20 $11902 $100800 $0.22 $1.20 $1.98 $0.55 1547
1986 $34924 $3.35 $0.93 $12894 $111900 $0.22 $1.21 $1.92 $0.56 1896
1987 $36884 $3.35 $0.96 $13386 $127200 $0.22 $1.03 $1.98 $0.55 1939
1988 $38608 $3.35 $0.96 $14065 $138300 $0.25 $1.13 $2.00 $0.61 2169
1989 $41506 $3.35 $1.06 $14645 $148800 $0.25 $1.43 $2.14 $0.67 2753
1990 $42652 $3.80 $1.22 $15472 $149800 $0.25 $1.30 $2.15 $0.69 2634
1991 $43237 $4.25 $1.20 $16083 $147200 $0.29 $1.31 $2.18 $0.71 3169
1992 $44221 $4.25 $1.19 $18141 $144100 $0.29 $1.22 $2.14 $0.75 3301
1993 $47221 $4.25 $1.17 $17678 $147700 $0.29 $1.17 $2.27 $0.75 3754
1994 $49340 $4.25 $1.17 $18657 $154500 $0.29 $1.17 $2.29 $0.76 3834
1995 $51353 $4.25 $1.21 $18360 $158700 $0.32 $1.46 $2.51 $0.79 5117
1996 $53676 $4.75 $1.29 $18563 $166400 $0.32 $1.60 $2.72 $0.88 6448
1997 $56902 $5.15 $1.29 $19260 $176200 $0.32 $1.47 $2.67 $0.87 8259
1998 $59589 $5.15 $1.12 $19560 $181900 $0.32 $1.38 $2.85 $0.86 9027
1999 $62636 $5.15 $1.22 $19993 $195800 $0.33 $1.22 $2.87 $0.89 11250
2000 $65500 $5.50 $1.57 $20664 $206400 $0.34 $1.25 $2.78 $0.93  
2001 $68300 $5.85 $1.66 $21012 $210000 $0.34 $1.40 $2.85 $0.98  
2002     $1.31     $0.37        
2003     $1.52     $0.37        
2004     $1.79     $0.37        
2005     $2.28     $0.37        
2006     $2.68     $0.39        
2007           $0.41        
2008           $0.42        
2009           $0.44        

 

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