History of U.S. Postage Stamp Prices

Prior to the middle of the 19^th century, U.S. Post Office mailing rates were based on the number of sheets in a letter and the distance it was traveling. In 1845, rates were based on the weight of a letter and the distance it was going. Beginning in 1863, domestic letter rates became "uniform," that is, they were based solely on weight, regardless of distance. Benjamin Franklin was appointed as America's first Postmaster General in 1775. The first postage stamps were issued in 1847

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Inflation Calculator, the inflation-adjusted price of the 1919 2¢ stamp is 35¢ in 2023 (a 17.5x, or 1650% increase). It is actually 66¢ as of July 9th. That's a 33x (3200%) increase, nearly twice the rate of inflation.

Postage rates listed below are in cents.

Domestic Letters
Effective Date	Per Ounce (¢)	Change (%) from Previous	Additional Ounce(s)
March 3, 1863	3
March 3, 1883	2	-33
July 1, 1885	2	0
November 3, 1917	3	50
July 1, 1919	2	-33
July 6, 1932	3	50
August 1, 1958	4	33
January 7, 1963	5	25
January 7, 1968	6	20
May 16, 1971	8	33
March 2, 1974	10	25
September 14, 1975	10	0	9
December 31, 1975	13	30	11
May 29, 1978	15	15	13
March 22, 1981	18	20	17
November 1, 1981	20	11	17
February 17, 1985	22	10	17
April 3, 1988	25	14	20
February 3, 1991	29	16	23
January 1, 1995	32	10	23
January 10,1999	33	3	22
January 5, 2001	34	3	23
June 30, 2002	37	9	23
January 8, 2006	39	5	24
May 14, 2007	41	5	17
May 12, 2008	42	2	17
May 11, 2009	44	5	17
April 17, 2011	44	0	20
January 22, 2012	45	2	20
January 27, 2013	46	2	20
January 26, 2014	49	7	22
April 10, 2016	47	-4	21
January 22, 2017	49	4	21
January 21, 2018	50	2	21
January 27, 2019	55	10	15
August 29, 2021	58	5	20
July 10, 2022	60	3	24
January 22, 2023	63	5	24
July 9, 2023	66	5	24

Table from the U.S. Postal Service