Let’s assume 1960 (JFK election) was the last “good year” in the USA. What has actually happened with inflation since?

Photo above - The good old days. Was 1960 the last "normal" year in America? You could get a newspaper for 10 cents.

I get 100 spam pieces a day ranting about inflation in America. This is a lot, but I couldn't say how much the spam rate has increased.

So I did the next best thing: I used the official US government dollar inflation website (link below) to calculate what happened to the US dollar since 1960. It’s big number, and a round one: 999% inflation. Something that cost $1 in 1960 theoretically costs $11 today. According to the US government. They wouldn't lie to us, would they?

I decided to check the online inflation calculator against some real-world purchases. If you want to have a cheerful and happy day, please don’t read any further.

1 – F150 pickup. America’s best-selling vehicle. According to several websites, this stickered for $4,000 in 1960. The average sale price in 2025 was $60,100. You could pay more – a lot more – for the nice ones, but let’s stick to average. The F150 price increased by 1,500%. Way more than the official 999% inflation rate. In Ford's defense, let me concede that the 2025 models can tow more and have bigger tires. But still . . .

2 – College Tuition. No, I am NOT going to cite “Harvard” because nobody you know actually went there. Let’s use Arizona State University instead. America’s largest public university. In 1960, tuition was $186. Not a misprint - $186 a semester for in-state students. In 2025 a semester (full 6 course hours) would be $5,416. Without dorm, meal plan, or parking. Still, that doesn’t look bad next to Harvard. However the ASU single semester price increase is THREE THOUSAND PERCENT. For a government run education. I don’t think this kind of stuff ever makes it into the official CPI data.

3 – Appendectomy – This one is especially tricky. Hospital costs are all over the map, as are hospitals. Best I could come up with: $418 in 1960 (before insurance), including a week’s stay in a hospital room for recovery. Today’s cost seems to average $20,000. How long you get to stay in that room varies too, but 1-2 days if there are no complications is the norm. Price increase: 5,000 percent – 5 times the official CPI inflation rate. I warned you to stop reading, didn’t I? I doubt putting the government in charge of hospitals will rein in medical inflation, after seeing what they did to college tuition.

4 – Grab bag – local costs may vary: Big Mac, up 1,400%. Converse sneakers – 2,000%. Washington post single copy – up from 10 cents to $3 (3000%)

Median US income for 1960 was $3,000. Today it’s 1,800% higher: $53,010. But we all feel poor, unless our last name is Musk, Bezos, or Swift.

As I said at the beginning – the official government data could be completely made up BS. How would we even know? And what did we expect from a bunch of guys who borrowed $38 trillion in our name which they never intend to repay?

I’m just sayin’ . . .


Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value From 1913-2026
Easily calculate how the buying power of the U.S. dollar has changed from 1913 to 2026. Get inflation rates and U.S. inflation news.
www.usinflationcalculator.com www.usinflationcalculator.com