$100 in 1934 is worth $2,499.85 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 2,399.9% higher than they were in 1934, an average inflation rate of 3.56% a year over roughly 92 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1934
The average CPI-U in 1934 was 13.4, up from 13.0 in 1933 — an annual inflation rate of 3.1%.
That rate was higher than in 65 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 1934 level by 1954, 20 years later.
Value of $100 from 1934 over time
1934 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1934 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $25.00 |
| $5 | $124.99 |
| $10 | $249.99 |
| $20 | $499.97 |
| $50 | $1,249.93 |
| $100 | $2,499.85 |
| $500 | $12,499.25 |
| $1,000 | $24,998.51 |
| $5,000 | $124,992.54 |
| $10,000 | $249,985.07 |
| $50,000 | $1,249,925.37 |
| $100,000 | $2,499,850.75 |
Buying power of $100 from 1934, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1934 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | 13.4 | 3.1% | $100.00 |
| 1935 | 13.7 | 2.2% | $102.24 |
| 1936 | 13.9 | 1.5% | $103.73 |
| 1937 | 14.4 | 3.6% | $107.46 |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% | $105.22 |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% | $103.73 |
| 1940 | 14.0 | 0.7% | $104.48 |
| 1941 | 14.7 | 5.0% | $109.70 |
| 1942 | 16.3 | 10.9% | $121.64 |
| 1943 | 17.3 | 6.1% | $129.10 |
| 1944 | 17.6 | 1.7% | $131.34 |
| 1945 | 18.0 | 2.3% | $134.33 |
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $145.52 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $166.42 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $179.85 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $177.61 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $179.85 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $194.03 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $197.76 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $199.25 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $200.75 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $200.00 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $202.99 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $209.70 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $215.67 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $217.16 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $220.90 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $223.13 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $225.37 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $228.36 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $231.34 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $235.07 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $241.79 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $249.25 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $259.70 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $273.88 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $289.55 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $302.24 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $311.94 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $331.34 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $367.91 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $401.49 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $424.63 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $452.24 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $486.57 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $541.79 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $614.93 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $678.36 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $720.15 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $743.28 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $775.37 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $802.99 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $817.91 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $847.76 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $882.84 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $925.37 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $975.37 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $1,016.42 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $1,047.01 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $1,078.36 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $1,105.97 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $1,137.31 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $1,170.90 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $1,197.76 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $1,216.42 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $1,243.28 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $1,285.07 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $1,321.64 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $1,342.54 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $1,373.13 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $1,409.70 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,457.46 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,504.48 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,547.33 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,606.74 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,601.02 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,627.28 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,678.65 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,713.39 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,738.49 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,766.69 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,768.78 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,791.10 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,829.25 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,873.93 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,907.89 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,931.43 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $2,022.16 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $2,183.99 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $2,273.90 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $2,340.96 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $2,402.56 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $2,499.85 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1934 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 13.4) = $2,499.85. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1934 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1934 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 $4.00 in 1934.
Other years
1924 dollars today · 1929 dollars today · 1932 dollars today · 1933 dollars today · 1935 dollars today · 1936 dollars today · 1939 dollars today · 1944 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
