Remember The Year

Where Our Numbers Come From

We only use published public records. Yearly prices are the average of the monthly (or quarterly) figures for that year. Postage and minimum wage use the rate in effect on July 1.

  • ⛽ Gallon of regular gas: U.S. Energy Information Administration (regular gasoline, U.S. city average retail price incl. taxes; leaded until 1975, unleaded from 1976) (series APU000074714). Years 1949–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • ✉️ First-class postage stamp: U.S. Postal Service rate history (rate in effect July 1). Years 1933–2025; today = since Jul 12, 2026.
  • 🥛 Gallon of whole milk: 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) (series APU0000709112). Years 1950–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🥛 Half-gallon of whole milk: 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) (series APU0000709111). Years 1946–1994; today = Sep 2026, half of a gallon.
  • 🥚 Dozen large eggs: 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) (series APU0000708111). Years 1946–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🍞 Loaf of white bread: 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) (series APU0000702111). Years 1946–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🍔 Pound of ground beef: 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) (series APU0000703112). Years 1950–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • ☕ Pound of ground coffee: 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) (series APU0000717311). Years 1946–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🥓 Pound of bacon: 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) (series APU0000704111). Years 1946–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🍗 Pound of whole chicken: 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) (series APU0000706111). Years 1950–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🧀 Pound of cheddar cheese: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data (U.S. city average) (series APU0000710212). Years 1984–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🍌 Pound of bananas: 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) (series APU0000711211). Years 1946–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🍅 Pound of tomatoes: 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) (series APU0000712311). Years 1950–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🍬 Pound of white sugar: 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) (series APU0000715211). Years 1946–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 🌾 Pound of flour: 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) (series APU0000701111). Years 1946–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • 💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration (average residential price incl. taxes). Years 1960–2025; today = Jul 2026.
  • 🏠 Median price of a house sold: U.S. Census Bureau & HUD, Median Sales Price of Houses Sold (series MSPUS). Years 1963–2025; today = Q3 2026.
  • 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics (series CES3000000008). Years 1939–2025; today = Sep 2026.
  • ⏱️ Federal minimum wage: U.S. Department of Labor (rate in effect July 1). Years 1939–2025; today = since Jul 24, 2009.
  • 👪 Median family income: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (series MEFAINUSA646N). Years 1953–2025; today = 2025.

Inflation (“in today's money”)

We adjust with the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yearly values are annual averages; “today” is the latest month (Sep 2026).

Hometown game

Town figures (population, median age, median household income, typical home value, share of owner-occupied homes and median year homes were built) come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Town locations and land area come from the Census Bureau's 2023 Gazetteer files. Distances are straight-line miles between town centers.

Remember This? pictures

The pictures in Remember This? are AI-generated recreations of typical American scenes from each decade. They are illustrations, not historical photographs.

Music

“Song of the year” is the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 number-one single (and before 1958, Billboard's year-end top single). “#1 album” is the Billboard Year-End number-one album.

Grocery prices before 1980

The BLS average price series online start in 1980. For 1946–1979 we use the same agency's retail food prices as printed in the Census Bureau's Historical Statistics of the United States (Series E 187–202) and the yearly Statistical Abstract of the United States. A few definitions differ from today's: milk before 1980 is the store price where one was published and the home-delivered price otherwise; eggs before 1953 are the highest grade sold in volume; flour and sugar were priced in 5-pound bags (we show the price per pound). Some items have gaps where no national figure was printed (for example 1978–79 for coffee, bacon, sugar and flour). Cheddar starts in 1984, because the older cheese series measured a different product.

Data last updated 2026-11-03.