$100 in 1946 is worth $1,717.85 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 1,617.8% higher than they were in 1946, an average inflation rate of 3.61% a year over roughly 80 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1946
The average CPI-U in 1946 was 19.5, up from 18.0 in 1945 — an annual inflation rate of 8.3%.
That rate was higher than in 100 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 1946 level by 1971, 25 years later.
Value of $100 from 1946 over time
1946 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1946 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $17.18 |
| $5 | $85.89 |
| $10 | $171.78 |
| $20 | $343.57 |
| $50 | $858.92 |
| $100 | $1,717.85 |
| $500 | $8,589.23 |
| $1,000 | $17,178.46 |
| $5,000 | $85,892.31 |
| $10,000 | $171,784.62 |
| $50,000 | $858,923.08 |
| $100,000 | $1,717,846.15 |
Buying power of $100 from 1946, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1946 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 19.5 | 8.3% | $100.00 |
| 1947 | 22.3 | 14.4% | $114.36 |
| 1948 | 24.1 | 8.1% | $123.59 |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% | $122.05 |
| 1950 | 24.1 | 1.3% | $123.59 |
| 1951 | 26.0 | 7.9% | $133.33 |
| 1952 | 26.5 | 1.9% | $135.90 |
| 1953 | 26.7 | 0.8% | $136.92 |
| 1954 | 26.9 | 0.7% | $137.95 |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% | $137.44 |
| 1956 | 27.2 | 1.5% | $139.49 |
| 1957 | 28.1 | 3.3% | $144.10 |
| 1958 | 28.9 | 2.8% | $148.21 |
| 1959 | 29.1 | 0.7% | $149.23 |
| 1960 | 29.6 | 1.7% | $151.79 |
| 1961 | 29.9 | 1.0% | $153.33 |
| 1962 | 30.2 | 1.0% | $154.87 |
| 1963 | 30.6 | 1.3% | $156.92 |
| 1964 | 31.0 | 1.3% | $158.97 |
| 1965 | 31.5 | 1.6% | $161.54 |
| 1966 | 32.4 | 2.9% | $166.15 |
| 1967 | 33.4 | 3.1% | $171.28 |
| 1968 | 34.8 | 4.2% | $178.46 |
| 1969 | 36.7 | 5.5% | $188.21 |
| 1970 | 38.8 | 5.7% | $198.97 |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.4% | $207.69 |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.2% | $214.36 |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.2% | $227.69 |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $252.82 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $275.90 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $291.79 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $310.77 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $334.36 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $372.31 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $422.56 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $466.15 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $494.87 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $510.77 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $532.82 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $551.79 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $562.05 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $582.56 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $606.67 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $635.90 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $670.26 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $698.46 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $719.49 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $741.03 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $760.00 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $781.54 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $804.62 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $823.08 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $835.90 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $854.36 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $883.08 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $908.21 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $922.56 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $943.59 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $968.72 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $1,001.54 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $1,033.85 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $1,063.29 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $1,104.12 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $1,100.19 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $1,118.24 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $1,153.53 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $1,177.41 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $1,194.65 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $1,214.03 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $1,215.47 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $1,230.81 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $1,257.03 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $1,287.73 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $1,311.06 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $1,327.24 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $1,389.59 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $1,500.79 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $1,562.57 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $1,608.66 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $1,650.99 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $1,717.85 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1946 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 19.5) = $1,717.85. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1946 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1946 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 $5.82 in 1946.
Other years
1936 dollars today · 1941 dollars today · 1944 dollars today · 1945 dollars today · 1947 dollars today · 1948 dollars today · 1951 dollars today · 1956 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
