A first-class stamp costs $0.78 in the U.S. as of September 2026. In 1950 it cost $0.03, or $0.42 in today’s dollars. Adjusted for inflation, a stamp costs 87% more today than in 1950.
Price at the time In September 2026 dollars
U.S. one ounce, the price posted by the USPS. ≈ marks estimates between data points.
| Year | Price | In today’s dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | $0.03 | $0.42 |
| 1951 | $0.03 | $0.39 |
| 1952 | $0.03 | $0.38 |
| 1953 | $0.03 | $0.38 |
| 1954 | $0.03 | $0.38 |
| 1955 | $0.03 | $0.38 |
| 1956 | $0.03 | $0.37 |
| 1957 | $0.03 | $0.36 |
| 1958 | $0.04 | $0.46 |
| 1959 | $0.04 | $0.46 |
| 1960 | $0.04 | $0.45 |
| 1961 | $0.04 | $0.45 |
| 1962 | $0.04 | $0.44 |
| 1963 | $0.05 | $0.55 |
| 1964 | $0.05 | $0.54 |
| 1965 | $0.05 | $0.53 |
| 1966 | $0.05 | $0.52 |
| 1967 | $0.05 | $0.50 |
| 1968 | $0.06 | $0.58 |
| 1969 | $0.06 | $0.55 |
| 1970 | $0.06 | $0.52 |
| 1971 | $0.08 | $0.66 |
| 1972 | $0.08 | $0.64 |
| 1973 | $0.08 | $0.60 |
| 1974 | $0.10 | $0.68 |
| 1975 | $0.13 | $0.81 |
| 1976 | $0.13 | $0.77 |
| 1977 | $0.13 | $0.72 |
| 1978 | $0.15 | $0.77 |
| 1979 | $0.15 | $0.69 |
| 1980 | $0.15 | $0.61 |
| 1981 | $0.20 | $0.74 |
| 1982 | $0.20 | $0.69 |
| 1983 | $0.20 | $0.67 |
| 1984 | $0.20 | $0.65 |
| 1985 | $0.22 | $0.69 |
| 1986 | $0.22 | $0.67 |
| 1987 | $0.22 | $0.65 |
| 1988 | $0.25 | $0.71 |
| 1989 | $0.25 | $0.68 |
| 1990 | $0.25 | $0.64 |
| 1991 | $0.29 | $0.71 |
| 1992 | $0.29 | $0.69 |
| 1993 | $0.29 | $0.67 |
| 1994 | $0.29 | $0.66 |
| 1995 | $0.32 | $0.70 |
| 1996 | $0.32 | $0.68 |
| 1997 | $0.32 | $0.67 |
| 1998 | $0.32 | $0.66 |
| 1999 | $0.33 | $0.66 |
| 2000 | $0.33 | $0.64 |
| 2001 | $0.34 | $0.64 |
| 2002 | $0.37 | $0.69 |
| 2003 | $0.37 | $0.67 |
| 2004 | $0.37 | $0.66 |
| 2005 | $0.37 | $0.64 |
| 2006 | $0.39 | $0.65 |
| 2007 | $0.41 | $0.66 |
| 2008 | $0.42 | $0.65 |
| 2009 | $0.44 | $0.69 |
| 2010 | $0.44 | $0.68 |
| 2011 | $0.44 | $0.66 |
| 2012 | $0.45 | $0.66 |
| 2013 | $0.46 | $0.66 |
| 2014 | $0.49 | $0.69 |
| 2015 | $0.49 | $0.69 |
| 2016 | $0.47 | $0.66 |
| 2017 | $0.49 | $0.67 |
| 2018 | $0.50 | $0.67 |
| 2019 | $0.55 | $0.72 |
| 2020 | $0.55 | $0.71 |
| 2021 | $0.58 | $0.71 |
| 2022 | $0.60 | $0.68 |
| 2023 | $0.66 | $0.72 |
| 2024 | $0.73 | $0.78 |
| 2025 | $0.78 | $0.81 |
| Sep 2026 (latest) | $0.78 | $0.78 |
U.S. Postal Service, history of domestic letter rates.
Each rate is shown from the start of the year it took effect.
Each year shows the U.S. figure at midyear. Years marked ≈ fall between this series’ data points and are estimated by smooth interpolation between them. Today’s dollars use the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). How it works.
Price of a cross-country flight by year
What everything cost in 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020. All prices.