Americans that year
1942 figure135 million Americans
as of July 1, 1942 (U.S. Census Bureau)
US Census Bureau
Includes service members overseas.
US Census Bureau, 1942 · Source (opens in a new tab)
Born in 1942
America in 1942
In 1942, about 135 million people lived in the United States, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was president.
A dollar from 1942 buys what $20.67 buys today, by consumer prices.
The Born Story shows the world on the day you were born — enter a birthday to see the weather, prices, and headlines of that day.
How many people lived in the U.S. in 1942?
How much did things cost in 1942?
A dollar then
1942 average$20.67 today
By consumer prices, 1942 average vs. Sept. 2026 (BLS CPI-U).
| First-class stampall of 1942 | 3¢ |
BLS · USPS Historian — Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863
Prices in the table are as charged then, not adjusted for inflation.
BLS, 1942 · Source (opens in a new tab)
USPS Historian — Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863, 1942 · Source (opens in a new tab)
How long were people expected to live in 1942?
Life expectancy at birth
1942 figure66.2 years
U.S. life expectancy at birth, 1942 (NCHS)
CDC/NCHS
All races, both sexes. A snapshot of that year’s death rates, not a forecast for any one person.
CDC/NCHS, 1942 · Source (opens in a new tab)
Who was president in 1942?
In the White House
1942Franklin D. Roosevelt
32nd President of the United States
US House Office of the Historian
US House Office of the Historian, 1942 · Source (opens in a new tab)
A birthday poster from 1942
Someone born in 1942 gets a poster of their own day: the weather where they were born, the Moon that night, and what the world looked like, with every fact sourced.
Make one for a 1942 birthdaySee the day you were born in 1942
The weather that day, the Moon that night, and your hometown, each with its source.