Cost of a first class U.S. postage stamp

compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston

last modified 29 December 2018

Historical U.S. first class postage rates* year first class

postage rate,

cents (current) first class

postage rate,

cents (2018 $) CPI 1866 3 49.0 15.4 1867 3 52.6 14.3 1868 3 54.8 13.8 1869 3 57.1 13.2 1870 3 59.7 12.7 1871 3 63.7 11.8 1872 3 63.7 11.8 1873 3 65.1 11.6 1874 3 68.4 11.0 1875 3 70.9 10.6 1876 3 72.6 10.4 1877 3 74.4 10.2 1878 3 78.0 9.7 1879 3 78.0 9.7 1880 3 76.2 9.9 1881 3 76.2 9.9 1882 3 76.2 9.9 1883 2 51.8 9.7 1884 2 52.9 9.5 1885 2 54.0 9.3 1886 2 55.2 9.1 1887 2 54.6 9.2 1888 2 54.6 9.2 1889 2 56.4 8.9 1890 2 57.0 8.8 1891 2 57.0 8.8 1892 2 57.0 8.8 1893 2 57.7 8.7 1894 2 60.3 8.3 1895 2 61.8 8.1 1896 2 61.8 8.1 1897 2 62.6 8.0 1898 2 62.6 8.0 1899 2 62.6 8.0 1900 2 61.8 8.1 1901 2 61.1 8.2 1902 2 60.3 8.3 1903 2 59.0 8.5 1904 2 58.3 8.6 1905 2 59.0 8.5 1906 2 57.7 8.7 1907 2 55.2 9.1 1908 2 56.4 8.9 1909 2 57.0 8.8 1910 2 54.6 9.2 1911 2 54.6 9.2 1912 2 52.4 9.4 1913 2 51.3 9.9 1914 2 50.7 10.0 1915 2 49.7 10.1 1916 2 46.5 10.9 1917 2 38.6 12.8 1918 3 51.3 15.1 1919 2 44.6 17.3 1920 2 24.0 20.0 1921 2 28.5 17.9 1922 2 30.1 16.8 1923 2 29.6 17.1 1924 2 29.6 17.1 1925 2 28.7 17.5 1926 2 28.4 17.7 1927 2 28.5 17.4 1928 2 29.4 17.1 1929 2 29.4 17.1 1930 2 29.9 16.7 1931 2 33.3 15.2 1932 2 36.9 13.7 1933 3 59.3 13.0 1934 3 56.2 13.4 1935 3 55.0 13.7 1936 3 54.6 13.9 1937 3 52.3 14.4 1938 3 53.4 14.1 1939 3 54.6 13.9 1940 3 53.4 14.0 1941 3 51.3 14.7 1942 3 46.2 16.3 1943 3 43.1 17.3 1944 3 42.8 17.6 1945 3 41.6 18.0 1946 3 40.3 19.5 1947 3 34.2 22.3 1948 3 31.3 24.1 1949 3 31.5 23.8 1950 3 31.7 24.1 1951 3 29.1 26.0 1952 3 28.4 26.5 1953 3 28.1 26.7 1954 3 28.0 26.9 1955 3 28.2 26.8 1956 3 27.7 27.2 1957 3 26.8 28.1 1958 3 26.1 28.9 1959 4 34.5 29.1 1960 4 33.9 29.6 1961 4 33.7 29.9 1962 4 33.3 30.2 1963 5 41.0 30.6 1964 5 40.5 31.0 1965 5 39.7 31.5 1966 5 38.8 32.4 1967 5 37.7 33.4 1968 6 43.4 34.8 1969 6 41.2 36.7 1970 6 38.8 38.8 1971 8 49.5 40.5 1972 8 48.2 41.8 1973 8 45.5 44.4 1974 10 51.3 49.3 1975 10 46.9 53.8 1976 13 57.5 56.9 1977 13 53.8 60.6 1978 15 57.8 65.2 1979 15 52.1 72.6 1980 15 45.6 82.4 1981 18 49.9 90.9 1982 20 51.8 96.5 1983 20 50.5 99.6 1984 20 48.4 103.9 1985 22 51.4 107.6 1986 22 50.5 109.6 1987 22 48.7 113.6 1988 25 53.2 118.3 1989 25 50.6 124.0 1990 25 48.3 130.7 1991 29 53.6 136.2 1992 29 52.0 140.3 1993 29 50.4 144.5 1994 29 49.2 148.2 1995 32 52.7 152.4 1996 32 51.3 156.9 1997 32 50.1 160.5 1998 32 49.3 163.0 1999 33 49.9 166.6 2000 33 48.1 172.2 2001 34 48.0 177.1 2002 37 51.7 179.9 2003 37 50.6 184.0 2004 37 49.0 188.9 2005 37 47.8 195.3 2006 39 48.3 201.6 2007 41 49.4 207.3 2008 42 48.2 215.3 2009 44 51.2 214.5 2010 44 50.7 218.1 2011 44 49.0 224.9 2012 45 49.2 229.6 2013 46 49.5 233.0 2014 49 51.6 236.7 2015 49 51.6 237.0 2016 47 49.0 240.0 2017 49 50.2 245.1 2018 50 49.8 251.2 2019 Jan 55 54.8

* Postal rates as of July 1, base rate for first 1/2-ounce or first ounce; CPI annual averages.

Sources:

Postal rate data: Scott Publ. Co., 2004, Scott 2004 Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps and Covers , Scott Publ. Co. (Sidney, OH), supplemented by Dart, Andrew K., 2018, "The history of postage rates in the United States," Akdart , on line [http://www.akdart.com/postrate.html].

, Scott Publ. Co. (Sidney, OH), supplemented by Dart, Andrew K., 2018, "The history of postage rates in the United States," , on line [http://www.akdart.com/postrate.html]. CPI data: 1913-2018 from U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018, "Historical Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U)," on line [https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/historical-cpi-u-201811.pdf]; 1866-1912 from Lawrence H. Officer, 2012, "The Annual Consumer Price Index for the United States, 1774-2010," MeasuringWorth, on line [http://www.measuringworth.org/datasets/uscpi/result.php].

© 2001-2015, 2018 by Wm. Robert Johnston.

Last modified 29 December 2018.

Return to Home.