Mr. Acker Bilk
Prices in 1962 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 1962 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 | 1962 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | 31¢ | $4.48 +1,365% |
| 🥛 Gallon of whole milkper gallon | 98¢ | $4.11 +321% |
| 🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon | 49¢ | $2.05 +321% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | 54¢ | $2.27 +321% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 21¢ | $1.83 +763% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | 71¢ | $9.33 +1,218% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 4¢ | 82¢ +1,950% |
| 💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricityper kWh, residential | 2.6¢ | 18.3¢ +604% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | $1.15 | $7.25 +530% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $2.27 | $30.21 +1,230% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $6,000 | $110,500 +1,742% |
| 🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound | 52¢ | $6.79 +1,204% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | 70¢ | $6.76 +861% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | 41¢ | $2.06 +407% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 16¢ | 66¢ +302% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | 30¢ | $1.99 +571% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 12¢ | $1.02 +771% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 11¢ | 55¢ +378% |
1962 at a glance
Questions people ask about 1962
How much was a gallon of gas in 1962?
Regular gasoline averaged 31¢ a gallon in 1962 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $3.41 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 1962?
A first-class stamp cost 4¢ in 1962. Today it costs 82¢.
What was the minimum wage in 1962?
The federal minimum wage was $1.15 an hour in 1962, worth about $12.81 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 1962?
A gallon of whole milk averaged 98¢ in 1962. Today: $4.11.
How much were eggs in 1962?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 54¢ in 1962. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 1962?
Billboard's top song of 1962 was “Stranger on the Shore” by Mr. Acker Bilk.
How much is $1 from 1962 worth today?
$1 in 1962 buys about as much as $11.14 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. Energy Information Administration (average residential price incl. taxes); 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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