Rewind to
1988
33 different songs reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. The year opened with Faith by George Michael at the top, and Roll With It by Steve Winwood held #1 the longest — 4 weeks in 1988.
Prices rose 4.1% over 1987. One dollar in 1988 buys about what $2.72 buys in 2025.
A gallon of regular gas averaged $0.95, down 0% from 1987. In 2025 dollars that is $2.58, against an actual 2025 average of $3.26.
Mailing a letter took a 25¢ stamp (it is 73¢ in 2025), and the federal minimum wage was $3.35 an hour.
Songs that hit #1
33
Gallon of gas
$0.95
2025: $3.26
Inflation
4.1%
change in CPI vs 1987
$1 then is
$2.72
in 2025 dollars
Every #1 hit of 1988
| Song | Artist | First week at #1 | Weeks at #1 in 1988 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faith | George Michael | Jan 2 | 1 |
| So Emotional | Whitney Houston | Jan 9 | 1 |
| Got My Mind Set On You | George Harrison | Jan 16 | 1 |
| The Way You Make Me Feel | Michael Jackson | Jan 23 | 1 |
| Need You Tonight | INXS | Jan 30 | 1 |
| Could've Been | Tiffany | Feb 6 | 2 |
| Seasons Change | Expose | Feb 20 | 1 |
| Father Figure | George Michael | Feb 27 | 2 |
| Never Gonna Give You Up | Rick Astley | Mar 12 | 2 |
| Man In The Mirror | Michael Jackson | Mar 26 | 2 |
| Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car | Billy Ocean | Apr 9 | 2 |
| Where Do Broken Hearts Go | Whitney Houston | Apr 23 | 2 |
| Wishing Well | Terence Trent D'Arby | May 7 | 1 |
| Anything For You | Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine | May 14 | 2 |
| One More Try | George Michael | May 28 | 3 |
| Together Forever | Rick Astley | Jun 18 | 1 |
| Foolish Beat | Debbie Gibson | Jun 25 | 1 |
| Dirty Diana | Michael Jackson | Jul 2 | 1 |
| The Flame | Cheap Trick | Jul 9 | 2 |
| Hold On To The Nights | Richard Marx | Jul 23 | 1 |
| Roll With It | Steve Winwood | Jul 30 | 4 |
| Monkey | George Michael | Aug 27 | 2 |
| Sweet Child O' Mine | Guns N' Roses | Sep 10 | 2 |
| Don't Worry, Be Happy (From "Cocktail") | Bobby McFerrin | Sep 24 | 2 |
| Love Bites | Def Leppard | Oct 8 | 1 |
| Red Red Wine | UB40 | Oct 15 | 1 |
| Groovy Kind Of Love | Phil Collins | Oct 22 | 2 |
| Kokomo (From"Cocktail" ) | The Beach Boys | Nov 5 | 1 |
| Wild, Wild West | The Escape Club | Nov 12 | 1 |
| Bad Medicine | Bon Jovi | Nov 19 | 2 |
| Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley | Will To Power | Dec 3 | 1 |
| Look Away | Chicago | Dec 10 | 2 |
| Every Rose Has Its Thorn | Poison | Dec 24 | 2 |
Weeks are counted within 1988; a song that carried over from 1987 or into 1989 shows only its 1988 weeks.
What things cost in 1988
| Item | 1988 price | In 2025 dollars | Actual 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallon of regular gas | $0.95 | $2.58 | $3.26 |
| Dozen large eggs | $0.79 | $2.15 | $4.25 |
| Loaf of white bread (per lb) | $0.61 | $1.67 | $1.87 |
| Ground beef (per lb) | $1.36 | $3.72 | $6.09 |
| Whole chicken (per lb) | $0.85 | $2.32 | $2.06 |
| Bacon (per lb) | $1.88 | $5.13 | $7.02 |
| Ground coffee (per lb) | $2.77 | $7.54 | $8.18 |
| Bananas (per lb) | $0.42 | $1.14 | $0.65 |
| Sugar (per lb) | $0.37 | $1.00 | $1.02 |
| Potatoes (per lb) | $0.26 | $0.71 | $0.96 |
| Flour (per lb) | $0.21 | $0.58 | $0.56 |
| Electricity (per kWh) | $0.08 | $0.22 | $0.18 |
| Federal minimum wage (per hour) | $3.35 | $9.12 | $7.25 |
| Median new home sale price | $112,225 | $305,519 | $415,400 |
| First-class stamp | 25¢ | 68¢ | 73¢ |
Compare 1988 prices with any amount → · Find the #1 song on any day in 1988 →
The internet in 1988
Websites in existence
0
The first web page goes live in December 1990.
- August 1988IRC starts chatting — Jarkko Oikarinen writes Internet Relay Chat in Finland. Real-time group chat rooms spread around the world within months. source
- November 2, 1988The Morris worm — A program written by Cornell student Robert Tappan Morris spreads across the internet and slows thousands of machines — the first worm to make national news. source
