$82,259 in 1958 has the same purchasing power as $115,276.45 in 1971. Over the 13 years this is a change of $33,017.45.
The average inflation rate of the dollar between 1958 and 1971 was 2.66% per year. The cumulative price increase of the dollar over this time was 40.14%.
The value of $82,259 from 1958 to 1971
So what does this data mean? It means that the prices in 1971 are 1,152.76 higher than the average prices since 1958. A dollar in 1971 can buy 71.36% of what it could buy in 1958.
These inflation figures use the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) consumer price index to calculate the value of $82,259 between 1958 and 1971.
The inflation rate for 1958 was 2.85%, while the inflation rate for 1971 was 4.38%. The 1971 inflation rate is higher than the average inflation rate of 1.94% per year between 1971 and 2023.
USD Inflation Since 1913
The chart below shows the inflation rate from 1913 when the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI) was first established.
The Buying Power of $82,259 in 1958
We can look at the buying power equivalent for $82,259 in 1958 to see how much you would need to adjust for in order to beat inflation. For 1958 to 1971, if you started with $82,259 in 1958, you would need to have $115,276.45 in 1958 to keep up with inflation rates.
So if we are saying that $82,259 is equivalent to $115,276.45 over time, you can see the core concept of inflation in action. The "real value" of a single dollar decreases over time. It will pay for fewer items at the store than it did previously.
In the chart below you can see how the value of the dollar is worth less over 13 years.
Value of $82,259 Over Time
In the table below we can see the value of the US Dollar over time. According to the BLS, each of these amounts are equivalent in terms of what that amount could purchase at the time.
US Dollar Inflation Conversion
If you're interested to see the effect of inflation on various 1950 amounts, the table below shows how much each amount would be worth today based on the price increase of 40.14%.
Calculate Inflation Rate for $82,259 from 1958 to 1971
To calculate the inflation rate of $82,259 from 1958 to 1971, we use the following formula:
$$\dfrac{ 1958\; USD\; value \times CPI\; in\; 1971 }{ CPI\; in\; 1958 } = 1971\; USD\; value $$
We then replace the variables with the historical CPI values. The CPI in 1958 was 28.9 and 40.5 in 1971.
$$\dfrac{ \$82,259 \times 40.5 }{ 28.9 } = \text{ \$115,276.45 } $$
$82,259 in 1958 has the same purchasing power as $115,276.45 in 1971.
To work out the total inflation rate for the 13 years between 1958 and 1971, we can use a different formula:
$$ \dfrac{\text{CPI in 1971 } - \text{ CPI in 1958 } }{\text{CPI in 1958 }} \times 100 = \text{Cumulative rate for 13 years} $$
Again, we can replace those variables with the correct Consumer Price Index values to work out the cumulativate rate:
$$ \dfrac{\text{ 40.5 } - \text{ 28.9 } }{\text{ 28.9 }} \times 100 = \text{ 40.14\% } $$
Inflation Rate Definition
The inflation rate is the percentage increase in the average level of prices of a basket of selected goods over time. It indicates a decrease in the purchasing power of currency and results in an increased consumer price index (CPI). Put simply, the inflation rate is the rate at which the general prices of consumer goods increases when the currency purchase power is falling.
The most common cause of inflation is an increase in the money supply, though it can be caused by many different circumstances and events. The value of the floating currency starts to decline when it becomes abundant. What this means is that the currency is not as scarce and, as a result, not as valuable.
By comparing a list of standard products (the CPI), the change in price over time will be measured by the inflation rate. The prices of products such as milk, bread, and gas will be tracked over time after they are grouped together. Inflation shows that the money used to buy these products is not worth as much as it used to be when there is an increase in these products’ prices over time.
The inflation rate is basically the rate at which money loses its value when compared to the basket of selected goods – which is a fixed set of consumer products and services that are valued on an annual basis.