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1947: what things cost, the #1 song and more

In 1947, a half-gallon of milk was 39¢ and a stamp was 3¢. If you were born in 1947, you turn 79 in 2026. Here's how 1947 prices compare with today.

Born in
1947
Baby Boomer
🥛Milk (½ gal)39¢Today: $2.05
🥚Eggs70¢Today: $2.27
🍞Bread13¢Today: $1.83
☕Coffee47¢Today: $9.33
✉️Stamp3¢Today: 82¢
⏱️Minimum wage40¢Today: $7.25
🧰Factory pay$1.09Today: $30.21
🎵 #1 song: “Near You”
Francis Craig

Prices in 1947 vs. today

“In today's money” adjusts the 1947 price for inflation (CPI-U, Sep 2026). If today's price is higher than that, the item really did get more expensive, not just the dollar.

Item1947In today's moneyToday
🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon39¢$5.92$2.05
+424%
🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen70¢$10.50$2.27
+226%
🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound13¢$1.89$1.83
+1,364%
☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound47¢$7.08$9.33
+1,890%
✉️ First-class postage stampper letter3¢45¢82¢
+2,633%
⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour40¢$6.04$7.25
+1,712%
🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers$1.09$16.50$30.21
+2,664%
🥓 Pound of baconper pound78¢$11.73$6.76
+769%
🍌 Pound of bananasper pound15¢$2.2866¢
+334%
🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound9.7¢$1.46$1.02
+951%
🌾 Pound of flourper pound9.6¢$1.4555¢
+468%

1947 at a glance

Turning this year79 years old
GenerationBaby Boomer
PresidentHarry S. Truman
U.S. population144.1 million
$1 back then is worth$15.09 today
🎵
Song of the year
“Near You”
Francis Craig · Billboard Year-End #1

Questions people ask about 1947

How much was a postage stamp in 1947?

A first-class stamp cost 3¢ in 1947. Today it costs 82¢.

What was the minimum wage in 1947?

The federal minimum wage was 40¢ an hour in 1947, worth about $6.04 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.

How much was milk in 1947?

A half-gallon of whole milk averaged 39¢ in 1947. Today: $2.05.

How much were eggs in 1947?

A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 70¢ in 1947. Today: $2.27.

What was the #1 song of 1947?

Billboard's top song of 1947 was “Near You” by Francis Craig.

How much is $1 from 1947 worth today?

$1 in 1947 buys about as much as $15.09 did in Sep 2026, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

← 19461948 →

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data (U.S. city average) (from 1980); Before 1980: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics retail food prices as published by the U.S. Census Bureau (Historical Statistics of the United States, Series E 187–202, and the Statistical Abstract of the United States); U.S. Postal Service rate history (rate in effect July 1); U.S. Department of Labor (rate in effect July 1); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics; Billboard Year-End Hot 100. How we calculate these.