Born that year
1986 figure3.8 million babies
3,756,547 born in the U.S. (CDC/NCHS)
CDC/NCHS
Registered live births, all races (NVSR 59-1 Table 1), excludes births to nonresidents.
CDC/NCHS, 1986 · Source (opens in a new tab)
Born in 1986
America in 1986
In 1986, about 240 million people lived in the United States, 3.8 million babies were born (CDC/NCHS), and Ronald Reagan was president.
A dollar from 1986 buys what $3.07 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 babies were born in 1986?
How many people lived in the U.S. in 1986?
Americans that year
1986 figure240 million Americans
as of July 1, 1986 (U.S. Census Bureau)
US Census Bureau
US Census Bureau, 1986 · Source (opens in a new tab)
How much did things cost in 1986?
A dollar then
1986 average$3.07 today
By consumer prices, 1986 average vs. Sept. 2026 (BLS CPI-U).
| Gallon of gas (regular unleaded)1986 average | 93¢ |
| First-class stampall of 1986 | 22¢ |
BLS · EIA Monthly Energy Review T9.4 · USPS Historian — Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863
Prices in the table are as charged then, not adjusted for inflation.
BLS, 1986 · Source (opens in a new tab)
EIA Monthly Energy Review T9.4, 1986 · Source (opens in a new tab)
USPS Historian — Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863, 1986 · Source (opens in a new tab)
How long were people expected to live in 1986?
Life expectancy at birth
1986 figure74.7 years
U.S. life expectancy at birth, 1986 (NCHS)
CDC/NCHS
All races, both sexes. A snapshot of that year’s death rates, not a forecast for any one person.
CDC/NCHS, 1986 · Source (opens in a new tab)
Who was president in 1986?
In the White House
1986Ronald Reagan
40th President of the United States
US House Office of the Historian
US House Office of the Historian, 1986 · Source (opens in a new tab)
A birthday poster from 1986
Someone born in 1986 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 1986 birthdaySee the day you were born in 1986
The weather that day, the Moon that night, and your hometown, each with its source.