$100 in 1973 is worth $754.46 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 654.5% higher than they were in 1973, an average inflation rate of 3.88% a year over roughly 53 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1973
The average CPI-U in 1973 was 44.4, up from 41.8 in 1972 — an annual inflation rate of 6.2%.
That rate was higher than in 93 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 1973 level by 1981, 8 years later.
Value of $100 from 1973 over time
1973 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1973 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $7.54 |
| $5 | $37.72 |
| $10 | $75.45 |
| $20 | $150.89 |
| $50 | $377.23 |
| $100 | $754.46 |
| $500 | $3,772.30 |
| $1,000 | $7,544.59 |
| $5,000 | $37,722.97 |
| $10,000 | $75,445.95 |
| $50,000 | $377,229.73 |
| $100,000 | $754,459.46 |
Buying power of $100 from 1973, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1973 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $100.00 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $111.04 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $121.17 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $128.15 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $136.49 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $146.85 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $163.51 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $185.59 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $204.73 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $217.34 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $224.32 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $234.01 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $242.34 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $246.85 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $255.86 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $266.44 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $279.28 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $294.37 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $306.76 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $315.99 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $325.45 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $333.78 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $343.24 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $353.38 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $361.49 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $367.12 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $375.23 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $387.84 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $398.87 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $405.18 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $414.41 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $425.45 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $439.86 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $454.05 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $466.99 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $484.92 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $483.19 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $491.12 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $506.62 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $517.10 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $524.68 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $533.19 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $533.82 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $540.56 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $552.07 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $565.56 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $575.80 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $582.91 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $610.29 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $659.13 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $686.27 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $706.51 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $725.10 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $754.46 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1973 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 44.4) = $754.46. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1973 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1973 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 $13.25 in 1973.
Other years
1963 dollars today · 1968 dollars today · 1971 dollars today · 1972 dollars today · 1974 dollars today · 1975 dollars today · 1978 dollars today · 1983 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
