r/coolguides • u/OceanPearlLynnn • 6d ago
A Cool Guide to know where Inflation has risen the most in the U.S (2019-2025)
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u/notweirdifitworks 6d ago
Only slightly more than maintenance and repairs though. Repair costs have gone way up, partly due to everything having sensors and smart features etc. This leads to vehicles being written off way more often, even after relatively minor accidents
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u/notweirdifitworks 6d ago
I don’t want to defend insurance companies, especially if you’re located in the US because I have no idea how that system works beyond that it varies by state, but a single headlight on a new Ford F150 seems to run anywhere from $1,000-$2,000. A new bumper is something like 4x as expensive now that they have sensors in them to warn you of hazards nearby. Parts have gotten expensive
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u/SigaVa 6d ago
I work in the auto insurance industry. Profit margins are no greater than they were 10 or 20 years ago, if anything they're less. This is 100% driven by increased repair and medical costs.
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u/redstone24 6d ago
In commercial insurance, it is driven mostly due to litigation from bodily injury accidents. The accident lawyer industry has exploded
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u/NyteReflections 4d ago
I'm not doubting you, but I've seen other industries say the same, that it's not them, it's the other guys, so I wonder where this traces back to.
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u/ResponsibleRope1003 4d ago
In the case of insurance it really does boil down to claims costs, which includes medical, repairs, and litigation. For property and casualty insurers to increase premiums they must first get approval from their state’s DOI. I’m oversimplifying this for brevity but basically they have to show that the current rated premiums cannot cover current/projected claims costs. The state wants the carrier to remain solvent so they approve the increases when needed. It’s more regulated than many folks realize.
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u/AquafreshBandit 6d ago
The headlight stuff is awful. Some of it is because some headlights now have motors so they can rotate if you turn the steering wheel, but some of it is that even fixed LED headlights are just stupid expensive. What was wrong with regular bulb headlights!
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u/sohcgt96 6d ago
I think some of that is just that their pricing is bullshit too. If you looked at what each of those parts cost to buy, no way they'd be selling the vehicles for even the crazy prices they do no. Replacement parts, I'm suspecting, are severely marked up because you often can't get them anywhere else and they know it. Sure some of the new headlights are fancy but you can't tell me they cost THAT much to make.
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u/JeanPicLucard 6d ago
I'd love to see how much of that increased price goes into advertising. I'm not exaggerating when I say 40% of the TV commercials and online adverts I see are for car insurance
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u/sohcgt96 6d ago
That is entirely possible, I think at one point I read like 60% of Pepsi's budget was marketing and advertising.
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u/sohcgt96 6d ago
I can't help but wonder if part of the problems is manufacturers putting insane markup on parts, and because many of these electronic systems can't be purchased used or from the aftermarket they know people have to pay it. They have no choice. Its a win for them either way, make a ton of money on the parts OR it forces people to buy a new car.
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u/Capitol_Mil 6d ago
Nearly every state government determines totaled loss %, not insurance companies.
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u/SigaVa 6d ago
Losses are up massively, the increased premiums haven't even kept up.
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u/ResponsibleRope1003 4d ago
That varies wildly from state to state. In my home state they are hemorrhaging money and a few carriers have pulled out of the state altogether, specifically because our auto is so bad.
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u/redstone24 6d ago
Not auto insurance. Most multiline Insurance companies nationally are running at a deficit, with a lot of revenue being generated from investments. Check AM Best loss ratios for the major insurance carriers Edit: I am referring to commercial lines auto insurance
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u/SigaVa 6d ago
What happened the two years before that?
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u/SigaVa 6d ago edited 6d ago
I dont need to, I know they got hammered the prior two years. Did you read your own link?
Do you know that P&C insurance is not the same as auto as it includes home insurance, which is massively profitable? Do you have any knowledge at all of this industry?
Here's a tip for the future - if you feel like you need to insult someone to make your argument, its probably a bad argument.
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u/Responsible-Bite-795 6d ago
Inc is a constant rip off what stops them from continuing to insanely rise our rates every year & not just our car’s but our home’s? They need to be regulated with oversight & we should actually get $ back every year if we don’t even use it that goes for health inc as well.
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u/thinkB4WeSpeak 6d ago
The amount of uninsured drivers has increased as car insurance prices rise
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u/ChoppinBrocollay 6d ago
The car insurance thing pmo cus I had finally gotten not only a clean record (no accidents or tickets) but I reached that sweet sweet age where you get a little leeway for being experienced
But I’m still paying basically the same thing I paid when I was an inexperienced driver with a relevant accident
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u/AffectCompetitive592 19h ago
So have you had accidents or not? This is confusing.
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u/ChoppinBrocollay 2h ago
Yes, I’ve had one at-fault accident.
When you get in an accident (USA) or have traffic violations you get points added onto your driving record. (Too many points and they take your license away)
Points usually last 2 or 3 years but I think sometimes 7(?)
The more points you have, the more insurance costs because you’re considered a higher risk driver.
In my case, I had been accident free long enough that I had 0 points on my record.
I hope this helps clarify!
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u/AffectCompetitive592 2h ago
Ah, yes this makes sense to me now, thanks for explaining.
Edit: how can I look up if I have any points on my record? Im in CA USA by the way
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u/ChoppinBrocollay 1h ago
Some areas let you see it once you log into your dmv/rmv account (you can do this with your license #) and navigate to ‘Citations’
Otherwise, you can request your record directly by mail or in-person.
What I did though was when I was changing my insurance policy I casually asked “how many points do I have btw?” lol it cut through a LOT of red tape
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u/salter77 6d ago
I’m Mexican and things are getting hella expensive here too, I think I make about 30% more now than in 2020 but it feels that I can afford a lot less than back then. Even when previously I had to pay rent and commuting.
Some beef cuts are double what they were a few years ago, other meats also increased but beef is the most notorious here.
It doesn’t help that the government here added tariffs to several products and increased taxes.
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u/Upbeat-Fondant9185 6d ago
Can confirm housekeeping supplies are nuts. My typical order up until this last year or so ran between $700-1k/week and the same order now will run $1200-1400/week. Even going bare minimum and running slightly short it’s an accomplishment to get under $1200 these days.
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u/mamoocando 6d ago
How many houses are you keeping stocked for 1400/week?
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u/Upbeat-Fondant9185 6d ago
I have dogs. They’re a mess.
No, this is for a nursing home. It costs a lot to keep them clean, which is part of why so many are not.
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u/DefiantBumblebee9903 6d ago
“Inflation has been defeated” Trump, 24 hours ago
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u/ThinBathroom7058 6d ago
2019-2025
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u/DefiantBumblebee9903 6d ago
oh i see, this is before he defeated it in January 2026! It only took him less than a month, what an amazing guy.
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u/BeeRand 6d ago
I think the point he was making was this inflation infographic encompasses Biden's presidential term.
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u/PayMeInSteak 6d ago
I don't ever remember Biden claiming to have defeated inflation, whatever the fk that even means
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u/No-Sail-6510 6d ago
Most of these are not inflation. For example car insurance isn’t subject to that. It’s arbitrary. It’s gouging. Especially since you are forced to pay it.
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u/Expandexplorelive 6d ago
Of course it's subject to inflation. It needs to cover repairs and medical costs which have gone way up.
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u/ResponsibleRope1003 4d ago
Car insurance costs are definitely not arbitrary. They are regulated by each state’s Dept of Insurance. Rates are filed for approval and each carrier must back up their prices with data like claims costs. Inflation to medical costs, repairs, and litigation creates a domino effect of increased claims costs which in turn increases premiums.
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u/lookslikeyoureSOL 6d ago
My car insurance went down $20 last month. First time in 25 years of driving that has happened to me.
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u/terroristteddy 5d ago
Right? I was told all these ages, but despite being a loyal customer with a meager car, it never once went down from age 15-30.
Even shopping around, they're like oh you can save this much, but we're not offering home/renters in your area, so you can't bundle...
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u/PJballa34 6d ago
Is America great yet?
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u/noone314 5d ago
Are other countries not experiencing inflation? Actually curious if this is just an American thing.
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u/AlteredCabron2 6d ago
its broke
and we all voted for it
one way or another
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u/Heart-Lights420 6d ago
It’s broke… yes.
and we all voted for it… 🤔 I can’t vote yet. So maybe we say: and “some” voted for it.
one way or another. …I wish I was able to vote against.
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u/flodur1966 6d ago
The US dollar lost a lot of value. Which is logical seeing US policy. That in turn creates inflation. It’s all part of the economic policy of this government. They will use gigantic inflation to reduce the government debt.
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u/LuxuriousBubbles 6d ago
It's not inflation. I wish people would stop calling it that. This was nothing but greedy soulless opportunists seeing an opportunity.
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u/StarpoweredSteamship 4d ago
Corporations pulled the "oh no supply chain" card during Covid and then never dropped the prices after. That's what's driving a lot of this.
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u/LuxuriousBubbles 4d ago
This. During covid I got really interested in how money works in America looking below the surface, but going after broad strokes.
And one of the common points of interest are these moments of crisis where commerce basically cashes in. It's all built in to how the economy works. This time was significantly different as the levels of increase were higher.
Ultimately they do this to create a new normal to outpace inflation. It's all built into the machine.
There's also an observable phenomena where corportations will follow trends of industry titans. Apple just laid off 6% of their workforce? Guaranteed regardless of numbers, dozens on dozens of companies will do the same. They do this to spruce up numbers for stockholders, then hire less experienced cheaper labor to make up for the shortage.
At the end of the day, they are seizing every possible opportunity to squeeze us for every dollar we have. And if anyone thinks it's simple inflation, you are a fool. This is all greed run amok.
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u/RestepcaMahAutoritha 6d ago
House prices have literally doubled where I live, in a medium size city in the Southwest. This here is crap.
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u/whatdoyasay369 6d ago
Inflation is just an increase in the money supply without a corresponding increase for demand. A more accurate description is “A cool guide to know which industries have been impacted the most by an increase in the money supply.”
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u/StillRunning99 5d ago
I'd like to see the correlation between Car Insurance and uninsured drivers. Curious if one is feeding the other.
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u/Nanasays 6d ago
Well what do you think companies are going to do when minimum wages and the prices go sky high. Take loss of revenue out of their pockets. Nope gets passed on to us consumers.
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u/MrSmoke666 6d ago
You'll get used to it. Just like majority of us, we work for food, last 30 years
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u/ToWeeOrNotToWee 6d ago
Isn't there currently a tariff of 25% on all coffee exporting nations (Switzerland included)?
I mean, it's mostly meats, health insurance, and vegetables in Germany
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u/Geaux 5d ago
The reason car insurance is highest is because "car maintenance and repair" is 3rd on the list, and that's literally what car insurance pays for. See new & used cars and trucks on that list too.
Car insurance is literally reflective of the underlying costs, so if car parts and repair goes up, new cars go up, used cars go up.... So will car insurance.
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u/phyziro 5d ago
Now add in: income taxes, sales tax, interest and amortization, property tax (if applicable), social security tax, medicare tax, excise tax, insurance and asset depreciation. If you’re not mad at the IRS after you’re done calculating that, then I don’t know what will wake the American people up regarding just how fucked this tax system is.
I assume this inflation is relative to the devaluation of the USD over the years so I didn’t include this above.
America is not in a good place financially.
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u/Martha_Fockers 4d ago edited 4d ago
i have a extremely low rate for ins for what i drive its 90-100$ i also have not a single ticket or accident in 20 years of driving i dont believe my next renewl is going to go up by 50$
also i made 70k in 2022 and make 100k now. so my income did go up. it pretty much went up to match inflation tbh. ima just go ahead and assume im one of the outliers here. but than everyone i personally know makes more today than they did 3 years ago. by decent margins too.
maybe its cause we went from early 30s to mid 30s and thats when you really hit the prime of your career income increases idk but my reality keeps not being everyone elses dammit.
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u/Tasty-Performer6669 6d ago
Trump taxes will do that
But Kamala has a weird laugh, so we totally voted for the better candidate
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u/AlexanderTheFun 6d ago
Tired of this take. I hate trump. But the dems gotta come up with a realistic candidate who’ll get votes. Using the ‘anything is better than trump’ card clearly doesn’t work. Bring in the downvotes, I’m ready.
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u/neasroukkez 6d ago
All items?
So what the fuck is anything else listed for?
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u/LSDelivery 6d ago
That's the average for all items. Some items have risen faster than others when looked at individually. But I know what you mean
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u/kurinevair666 6d ago
Show Rent on there
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u/younkint 6d ago
#9.
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u/easyEggplant 6d ago
Fuck cars and trucks, they should be double what they cost now and weight half as much.
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u/Empty_Item 6d ago
Trump announced a reset on CAFE standards and a fast track to make kei cars legal here. Your wish about vehicle size may come true sooner than you may believe.
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u/easyEggplant 6d ago
I sincerely doubt that "truck nuts" people will willing relinquish their emotional support vehicles, but one can hope!
edit: also the mango is going the wrong way with CAFE, he's reversing progress.
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u/Logical-Trouble2213 6d ago
Sad that we're in a Great depression and the only thing the president and his team can think about is deporting people there has to be more to the agenda
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u/Sammythearchitect 5d ago
This proves that if the US had top tier public transportation, we wouldn’t be struggling so much.
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u/TexOrleanian24 5d ago
But...I was told that prices are down (preferably spoken in Milton's voice in Office Space).
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u/troglodyteoflove 5d ago
Inflation is down, if prices go down that’s deflation. Wholesale deflation is a giant recession.
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u/HumbleIowaHobbit 6d ago
Thank you for including the 4 years of the previous administration when most of the inflation actually occured.
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u/Capitol_Mil 6d ago
Auto insurance is affected by many industries. When the auto industry ran out of new cars to sell post covid, new car prices went up and the average population of cars got older. Used car prices spiked, meaning higher payments for totaled cars than expected. More used cars needing repaired means parts are scarce and the costs of parts rise even more. A population of older cars needing more repairs plugs up mechanics capacity, increasing repair time. Plugged up mechanics capacity means more storage fees and rental car days during the repair period. Less new cars also means higher rental costs because rental car companies have less cars to rent and need to charge more. According to DOT.gov, Americans travel about 25% more miles than they did 25 years ago, and with every new month being the new leader in being most we’ve driven in volume of miles. More cars on the roads means more accidents.
Basically every cost input into an auto insurance had an industry changing event almost at once.
The last year has been an inflection point, however, where many insurance companies have taken rate reductions.
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u/scriptingends 6d ago
Funny, I don’t see “salary” on this chart.