PS....

On Jan 2, 10:28*am, I wrote:
*Caveat emptor: *these are US CPI
rates, for the most part, which may or may not be related to wage
inflation rates. *(Probably not, IMHO.) *It is the best you can do.

I meant to write "it is __probably__ the best you can do".

The OP wrote: "If min wage was $0.25 per hour in 1939 how can you,
adjusted for inflation/cola, calculate what the wage should be in
2008?". There are many ways to interpret what the OP really wants.

If the OP is asking about the equivalent buying power of $0.25 in
2008, the CPI might, indeed, be the appropriate index to use.

However, if the OP wants to compare the minimum wage increase with the
average wage increase, the OP might consider using the Average Wage
Index data from the (US) Soc Sec Admin. A table is available at
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/COLA/awiseries.html . In Excel
2003, the table can be imported easily by using DataImport External
DataNew Web Query. Unfortunately, that table only back as far as
1951.