Johnny Horton
Prices in 1959 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 1959 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.
| Item | 1959 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | 31¢ | $4.48 +1,370% |
| 🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon | 51¢ | $2.05 +306% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | 53¢ | $2.27 +329% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 20¢ | $1.83 +829% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | 78¢ | $9.33 +1,096% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 4¢ | 82¢ +1,950% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | $1.00 | $7.25 +625% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $2.08 | $30.21 +1,356% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $5,400 | $110,500 +1,946% |
| 🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound | 55¢ | $6.79 +1,137% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | 67¢ | $6.76 +916% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | 42¢ | $2.06 +391% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 17¢ | 66¢ +286% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | 30¢ | $1.99 +573% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 11¢ | $1.02 +794% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 11¢ | 55¢ +400% |
1959 at a glance
Questions people ask about 1959
How much was a gallon of gas in 1959?
Regular gasoline averaged 31¢ a gallon in 1959 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $3.53 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 1959?
A first-class stamp cost 4¢ in 1959. Today it costs 82¢.
What was the minimum wage in 1959?
The federal minimum wage was $1.00 an hour in 1959, worth about $11.56 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 1959?
A half-gallon of whole milk averaged 51¢ in 1959. Today: $2.05.
How much were eggs in 1959?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 53¢ in 1959. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 1959?
Billboard's top song of 1959 was “The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton.
How much is $1 from 1959 worth today?
$1 in 1959 buys about as much as $11.56 did in Sep 2026, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (regular gasoline, U.S. city average retail price incl. taxes; leaded until 1975, unleaded from 1976); 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; U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey; Billboard Year-End Hot 100. How we calculate these.
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