According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for medical care are 3,683.56% higher in 2025 versus 1950 (a $9,528,702,524,353.12 difference in value).
Between 1950 and 2025: Medical care experienced an average inflation rate of 4.96% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, medical care costing $258,682,187,409 in the year 1950 would cost $9,787,384,711,762.12 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.50% during this same period, inflation for medical care was higher.
In the year 1950: Pricing changed by 1.87%, which is significantly below the average yearly change for medical care during the 1950-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1950 (1.10%), inflation for medical care was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Medical care, over time, for $258,682,187,409 beginning in 1950. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
---|---|---|
1950 | $258,682,187,409.00 | 1.87% |
1951 | $271,056,806,043.32 | 4.78% |
1952 | $285,801,032,501.24 | 5.44% |
1953 | $295,937,688,191.06 | 3.55% |
1954 | $305,021,184,848.17 | 3.07% |
1955 | $312,130,008,318.95 | 2.33% |
1956 | $323,583,112,799.65 | 3.67% |
1957 | $336,879,245,587.60 | 4.11% |
1958 | $352,939,920,836.40 | 4.77% |
1959 | $367,815,792,173.41 | 4.21% |
1960 | $380,848,635,203.17 | 3.54% |
1961 | $392,301,739,683.88 | 3.01% |
1962 | $402,701,685,131.87 | 2.65% |
1963 | $412,311,761,305.34 | 2.39% |
1964 | $420,737,033,567.00 | 2.04% |
1965 | $431,005,334,135.91 | 2.44% |
1966 | $450,093,841,603.75 | 4.43% |
1967 | $481,820,257,464.09 | 7.05% |
1968 | $511,045,420,621.75 | 6.07% |
1969 | $546,326,248,217.48 | 6.90% |
1970 | $581,080,496,296.86 | 6.36% |
1971 | $618,599,286,837.09 | 6.46% |
1972 | $638,609,308,458.55 | 3.23% |
1973 | $663,358,545,727.20 | 3.88% |
1974 | $725,099,994,019.73 | 9.31% |
1975 | $812,512,193,734.53 | 12.06% |
1976 | $889,787,737,759.51 | 9.51% |
1977 | $974,830,329,650.71 | 9.56% |
1978 | $1,057,108,379,081.05 | 8.44% |
1979 | $1,154,920,524,243.85 | 9.25% |
1980 | $1,281,431,253,047.94 | 10.95% |
1981 | $1,419,131,796,574.57 | 10.75% |
1982 | $1,583,819,540,314.34 | 11.60% |
1983 | $1,721,520,083,840.96 | 8.69% |
1984 | $1,828,679,015,419.04 | 6.22% |
1985 | $1,942,683,480,709.73 | 6.23% |
1986 | $2,088,546,006,739.84 | 7.51% |
1987 | $2,227,168,064,420.08 | 6.64% |
1988 | $2,372,635,655,812.93 | 6.53% |
1989 | $2,554,305,588,955.13 | 7.66% |
1990 | $2,786,132,221,030.06 | 9.08% |
1991 | $3,029,411,957,585.70 | 8.73% |
1992 | $3,252,813,317,398.97 | 7.37% |
1993 | $3,446,857,869,175.50 | 5.97% |
1994 | $3,611,282,323,157.09 | 4.77% |
1995 | $3,773,073,879,556.92 | 4.48% |
1996 | $3,905,771,917,678.18 | 3.52% |
1997 | $4,014,642,232,684.41 | 2.79% |
1998 | $4,143,785,859,070.28 | 3.22% |
1999 | $4,288,463,581,188.59 | 3.49% |
2000 | $4,462,498,111,343.66 | 4.06% |
2001 | $4,667,995,767,600.88 | 4.60% |
2002 | $4,887,711,070,799.67 | 4.71% |
2003 | $5,084,125,230,399.79 | 4.02% |
2004 | $5,307,526,590,213.06 | 4.39% |
2005 | $5,531,586,174,421.77 | 4.22% |
2006 | $5,753,407,795,685.97 | 4.01% |
2007 | $6,007,873,397,617.77 | 4.42% |
2008 | $6,230,545,444,800.89 | 3.71% |
2009 | $6,428,182,585,327.73 | 3.17% |
2010 | $6,647,624,067,178.02 | 3.41% |
2011 | $6,849,941,183,156.47 | 3.04% |
2012 | $7,100,939,258,973.07 | 3.66% |
2013 | $7,275,680,722,128.83 | 2.46% |
2014 | $7,449,519,101,414.06 | 2.39% |
2015 | $7,645,641,009,382.59 | 2.63% |
2016 | $7,935,251,844,684.66 | 3.79% |
2017 | $8,134,579,305,459.01 | 2.51% |
2018 | $8,295,195,273,088.57 | 1.97% |
2019 | $8,529,762,751,546.13 | 2.83% |
2020 | $8,879,949,977,960.79 | 4.11% |
2021 | $8,989,492,998,299.16 | 1.23% |
2022 | $9,353,626,683,204.47 | 4.05% |
2023 | $9,396,937,848,424.60 | 0.46% |
2024 | $9,649,481,435,121.70 | 2.69% |
2025 | $9,787,384,711,762.12 | 1.43%* |
* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.
Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Medical care:
Year | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
CPI | 10.200 | 10.200 | 10.300 | 10.300 | 10.360 | 10.360 | 10.420 | 10.740 | 11.260 | 11.580 | 11.900 | 12.560 | 13.538 | 14.377 | 14.838 | 15.115 | 15.838 | 16.700 | 17.292 | 17.823 | 18.238 | 18.908 | 19.685 | 20.623 | 21.492 | 22.254 | 22.923 | 23.531 | 24.092 | 24.585 | 25.185 | 26.300 | 28.154 | 29.862 | 31.923 | 33.954 | 36.146 | 37.315 | 38.762 | 42.369 | 47.477 | 51.992 | 56.962 | 61.769 | 67.485 | 74.877 | 82.923 | 92.546 | 100.592 | 106.854 | 113.515 | 122.038 | 130.138 | 138.638 | 149.254 | 162.800 | 177.015 | 190.069 | 201.408 | 211.015 | 220.469 | 228.223 | 234.585 | 242.131 | 250.585 | 260.754 | 272.762 | 285.600 | 297.077 | 310.131 | 323.223 | 336.185 | 351.054 | 364.065 | 375.613 | 388.436 | 400.258 | 414.924 | 425.134 | 435.292 | 446.752 | 463.675 | 475.322 | 484.707 | 498.413 | 518.876 | 525.276 | 546.554 | 549.084 | 563.841 | 571.899 |