$100 in 1931 is worth $2,203.82 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 2,103.8% higher than they were in 1931, an average inflation rate of 3.30% a year over roughly 95 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1931
The average CPI-U in 1931 was 15.2, down from 16.7 in 1930 — an annual inflation rate of -9.0%.
1931 was a year of deflation: average consumer prices were lower than the year before.
That rate was higher than in 2 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 1931 level by 1963, 32 years later.
Value of $100 from 1931 over time
1931 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1931 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $22.04 |
| $5 | $110.19 |
| $10 | $220.38 |
| $20 | $440.76 |
| $50 | $1,101.91 |
| $100 | $2,203.82 |
| $500 | $11,019.08 |
| $1,000 | $22,038.16 |
| $5,000 | $110,190.79 |
| $10,000 | $220,381.58 |
| $50,000 | $1,101,907.89 |
| $100,000 | $2,203,815.79 |
Buying power of $100 from 1931, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1931 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 15.2 | -9.0% | $100.00 |
| 1932 | 13.7 | -9.9% | $90.13 |
| 1933 | 13.0 | -5.1% | $85.53 |
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $88.16 |
| 1935 | 13.7 | 2.2% | $90.13 |
| 1936 | 13.9 | 1.5% | $91.45 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $94.74 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $92.76 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $91.45 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $92.11 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $96.71 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $107.24 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $113.82 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $115.79 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $118.42 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $128.29 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $146.71 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $158.55 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $156.58 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $158.55 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $171.05 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $174.34 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $175.66 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $176.97 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $176.32 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $178.95 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $184.87 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $190.13 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $191.45 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $194.74 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $196.71 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $198.68 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $201.32 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $203.95 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $207.24 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $213.16 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $219.74 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $228.95 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $241.45 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $255.26 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $266.45 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $275.00 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $292.11 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $324.34 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $353.95 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $374.34 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $398.68 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $428.95 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $477.63 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $542.11 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $598.03 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $634.87 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $655.26 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $683.55 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $707.89 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $721.05 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $747.37 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $778.29 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $815.79 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $859.87 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $896.05 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $923.03 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $950.66 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $975.00 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $1,002.63 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $1,032.24 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $1,055.92 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $1,072.37 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $1,096.05 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $1,132.89 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $1,165.13 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,183.55 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,210.53 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,242.76 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,284.87 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,326.32 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,364.09 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,416.47 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,411.43 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,434.58 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,479.86 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,510.49 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,532.61 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,557.47 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,559.32 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,578.99 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,612.63 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,652.02 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,681.95 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,702.70 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,782.70 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $1,925.36 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $2,004.62 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $2,063.74 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $2,118.05 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $2,203.82 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1931 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 15.2) = $2,203.82. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1931 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1931 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 $4.54 in 1931.
Other years
1921 dollars today · 1926 dollars today · 1929 dollars today · 1930 dollars today · 1932 dollars today · 1933 dollars today · 1936 dollars today · 1941 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
