$100 in 1928 is worth $1,958.95 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 1,858.9% higher than they were in 1928, an average inflation rate of 3.08% a year over roughly 98 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1928
The average CPI-U in 1928 was 17.1, down from 17.4 in 1927 — an annual inflation rate of -1.7%.
1928 was a year of deflation: average consumer prices were lower than the year before.
That rate was higher than in 7 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025, and below the long-run average of 3.16% a year.
Average prices had doubled from their 1928 level by 1968, 40 years later.
Value of $100 from 1928 over time
1928 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1928 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $19.59 |
| $5 | $97.95 |
| $10 | $195.89 |
| $20 | $391.79 |
| $50 | $979.47 |
| $100 | $1,958.95 |
| $500 | $9,794.74 |
| $1,000 | $19,589.47 |
| $5,000 | $97,947.37 |
| $10,000 | $195,894.74 |
| $50,000 | $979,473.68 |
| $100,000 | $1,958,947.37 |
Buying power of $100 from 1928, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1928 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | 17.1 | -1.7% | $100.00 |
| 1929 | 17.1 | 0.0% | $100.00 |
| 1930 | 16.7 | -2.3% | $97.66 |
| 1931 | 15.2 | -9.0% | $88.89 |
| 1932 | 13.7 | -9.9% | $80.12 |
| 1933 | 13.0 | -5.1% | $76.02 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $78.36 |
| 1935 | 13.7 | 2.2% | $80.12 |
| 1936 | 13.9 | 1.5% | $81.29 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $84.21 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $82.46 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $81.29 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $81.87 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $85.96 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $95.32 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $101.17 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $102.92 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $105.26 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $114.04 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $130.41 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $140.94 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $139.18 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $140.94 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $152.05 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $154.97 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $156.14 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $157.31 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $156.73 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $159.06 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $164.33 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $169.01 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $170.18 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $173.10 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $174.85 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $176.61 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $178.95 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $181.29 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $184.21 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $189.47 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $195.32 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $203.51 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $214.62 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $226.90 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $236.84 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $244.44 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $259.65 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $288.30 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $314.62 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $332.75 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $354.39 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $381.29 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $424.56 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $481.87 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $531.58 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $564.33 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $582.46 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $607.60 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $629.24 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $640.94 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $664.33 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $691.81 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $725.15 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $764.33 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $796.49 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $820.47 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $845.03 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $866.67 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $891.23 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $917.54 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $938.60 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $953.22 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $974.27 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $1,007.02 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $1,035.67 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,052.05 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,076.02 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,104.68 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,142.11 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,178.95 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,212.53 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,259.08 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,254.60 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,275.18 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,315.43 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,342.65 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,362.32 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,384.42 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,386.06 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,403.55 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,433.45 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,468.46 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,495.07 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,513.51 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,584.62 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $1,711.43 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $1,781.88 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $1,834.44 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $1,882.71 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $1,958.95 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1928 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 17.1) = $1,958.95. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1928 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1928 because an annual average describes the middle of the year. CPI-U tracks a broad basket of urban consumer spending; the prices of specific items such as housing, tuition or food have moved by different amounts.
Reverse: $100.00 today had the same buying power as $5.10 in 1928.
Other years
1918 dollars today · 1923 dollars today · 1926 dollars today · 1927 dollars today · 1929 dollars today · 1930 dollars today · 1933 dollars today · 1938 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
