$100 in 1939 is worth $2,409.93 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 2,309.9% higher than they were in 1939, an average inflation rate of 3.72% a year over roughly 87 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1939
The average CPI-U in 1939 was 13.9, down from 14.1 in 1938 — an annual inflation rate of -1.4%.
1939 was a year of deflation: average consumer prices were lower than the year before.
That rate was higher than in 9 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 1939 level by 1957, 18 years later.
Value of $100 from 1939 over time
1939 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1939 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $24.10 |
| $5 | $120.50 |
| $10 | $240.99 |
| $20 | $481.99 |
| $50 | $1,204.96 |
| $100 | $2,409.93 |
| $500 | $12,049.64 |
| $1,000 | $24,099.28 |
| $5,000 | $120,496.40 |
| $10,000 | $240,992.81 |
| $50,000 | $1,204,964.03 |
| $100,000 | $2,409,928.06 |
Buying power of $100 from 1939, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $100.00 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $100.72 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $105.76 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $117.27 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $124.46 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $126.62 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $129.50 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $140.29 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $160.43 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $173.38 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $171.22 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $173.38 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $187.05 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $190.65 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $192.09 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $193.53 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $192.81 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $195.68 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $202.16 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $207.91 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $209.35 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $212.95 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $215.11 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $217.27 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $220.14 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $223.02 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $226.62 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $233.09 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $240.29 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $250.36 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $264.03 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $279.14 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $291.37 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $300.72 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $319.42 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $354.68 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $387.05 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $409.35 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $435.97 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $469.06 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $522.30 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $592.81 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $653.96 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $694.24 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $716.55 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $747.48 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $774.10 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $788.49 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $817.27 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $851.08 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $892.09 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $940.29 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $979.86 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $1,009.35 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $1,039.57 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $1,066.19 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $1,096.40 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $1,128.78 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $1,154.68 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $1,172.66 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $1,198.56 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $1,238.85 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $1,274.10 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,294.24 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,323.74 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,358.99 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,405.04 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,450.36 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,491.67 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,548.94 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,543.43 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,568.75 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,618.27 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,651.76 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,675.95 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,703.14 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,705.16 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,726.67 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,763.45 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,806.53 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,839.26 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,861.95 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,949.42 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $2,105.43 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $2,192.10 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $2,256.76 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $2,316.14 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $2,409.93 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1939 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 13.9) = $2,409.93. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1939 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1939 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 $4.15 in 1939.
Other years
1929 dollars today · 1934 dollars today · 1937 dollars today · 1938 dollars today · 1940 dollars today · 1941 dollars today · 1944 dollars today · 1949 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
