$100 in 1937 is worth $2,326.25 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 2,226.3% higher than they were in 1937, an average inflation rate of 3.59% a year over roughly 89 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1937
The average CPI-U in 1937 was 14.4, up from 13.9 in 1936 — an annual inflation rate of 3.6%.
That rate was higher than in 75 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025, and above the long-run average of 3.16% a year.
Average prices had doubled from their 1937 level by 1958, 21 years later.
Value of $100 from 1937 over time
1937 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1937 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $23.26 |
| $5 | $116.31 |
| $10 | $232.63 |
| $20 | $465.25 |
| $50 | $1,163.13 |
| $100 | $2,326.25 |
| $500 | $11,631.25 |
| $1,000 | $23,262.50 |
| $5,000 | $116,312.50 |
| $10,000 | $232,625.00 |
| $50,000 | $1,163,125.00 |
| $100,000 | $2,326,250.00 |
Buying power of $100 from 1937, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1937 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $100.00 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $97.92 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $96.53 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $97.22 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $102.08 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $113.19 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $120.14 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $122.22 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $125.00 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $135.42 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $154.86 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $167.36 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $165.28 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $167.36 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $180.56 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $184.03 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $185.42 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $186.81 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $186.11 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $188.89 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $195.14 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $200.69 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $202.08 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $205.56 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $207.64 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $209.72 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $212.50 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $215.28 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $218.75 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $225.00 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $231.94 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $241.67 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $254.86 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $269.44 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $281.25 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $290.28 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $308.33 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $342.36 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $373.61 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $395.14 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $420.83 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $452.78 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $504.17 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $572.22 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $631.25 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $670.14 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $691.67 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $721.53 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $747.22 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $761.11 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $788.89 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $821.53 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $861.11 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $907.64 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $945.83 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $974.31 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $1,003.47 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $1,029.17 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $1,058.33 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $1,089.58 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $1,114.58 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $1,131.94 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $1,156.94 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $1,195.83 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $1,229.86 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,249.31 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,277.78 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,311.81 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,356.25 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,400.00 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,439.88 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,495.16 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,489.84 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,514.28 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,562.08 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,594.40 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,617.76 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,644.00 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,645.95 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,666.72 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,702.22 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,743.80 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,775.40 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,797.30 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,881.74 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $2,032.33 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $2,115.99 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $2,178.40 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $2,235.72 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $2,326.25 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1937 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 14.4) = $2,326.25. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1937 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1937 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 $4.30 in 1937.
Other years
1927 dollars today · 1932 dollars today · 1935 dollars today · 1936 dollars today · 1938 dollars today · 1939 dollars today · 1942 dollars today · 1947 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
