$100 in 1949 is worth $1,407.48 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 1,307.5% higher than they were in 1949, an average inflation rate of 3.49% a year over roughly 77 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1949
The average CPI-U in 1949 was 23.8, down from 24.1 in 1948 — an annual inflation rate of -1.2%.
1949 was a year of deflation: average consumer prices were lower than the year before.
That rate was higher than in 10 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 1949 level by 1974, 25 years later.
Value of $100 from 1949 over time
1949 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1949 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $14.07 |
| $5 | $70.37 |
| $10 | $140.75 |
| $20 | $281.50 |
| $50 | $703.74 |
| $100 | $1,407.48 |
| $500 | $7,037.39 |
| $1,000 | $14,074.79 |
| $5,000 | $70,373.95 |
| $10,000 | $140,747.90 |
| $50,000 | $703,739.50 |
| $100,000 | $1,407,478.99 |
Buying power of $100 from 1949, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $100.00 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $101.26 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $109.24 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $111.34 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $112.18 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $113.03 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $112.61 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $114.29 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $118.07 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $121.43 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $122.27 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $124.37 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $125.63 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $126.89 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $128.57 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $130.25 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $132.35 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $136.13 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $140.34 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $146.22 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $154.20 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $163.03 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $170.17 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $175.63 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $186.55 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $207.14 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $226.05 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $239.08 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $254.62 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $273.95 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $305.04 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $346.22 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $381.93 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $405.46 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $418.49 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $436.55 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $452.10 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $460.50 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $477.31 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $497.06 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $521.01 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $549.16 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $572.27 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $589.50 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $607.14 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $622.69 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $640.34 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $659.24 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $674.37 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $684.87 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $700.00 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $723.53 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $744.12 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $755.88 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $773.11 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $793.70 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $820.59 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $847.06 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $871.18 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $904.63 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $901.42 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $916.20 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $945.12 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $964.68 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $978.81 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $994.69 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $995.87 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,008.43 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,029.92 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,055.07 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,074.19 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,087.44 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,138.53 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $1,229.64 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $1,280.26 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $1,318.02 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $1,352.70 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $1,407.48 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1949 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 23.8) = $1,407.48. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1949 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1949 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 $7.10 in 1949.
Other years
1939 dollars today · 1944 dollars today · 1947 dollars today · 1948 dollars today · 1950 dollars today · 1951 dollars today · 1954 dollars today · 1959 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
