$100 in 1974 is worth $679.47 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 579.5% higher than they were in 1974, an average inflation rate of 3.74% a year over roughly 52 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1974
The average CPI-U in 1974 was 49.3, up from 44.4 in 1973 — an annual inflation rate of 11.0%.
1974 was a year of double-digit inflation.
That rate was higher than in 104 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 1974 level by 1983, 9 years later.
Value of $100 from 1974 over time
1974 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1974 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $6.79 |
| $5 | $33.97 |
| $10 | $67.95 |
| $20 | $135.89 |
| $50 | $339.74 |
| $100 | $679.47 |
| $500 | $3,397.36 |
| $1,000 | $6,794.73 |
| $5,000 | $33,973.63 |
| $10,000 | $67,947.26 |
| $50,000 | $339,736.31 |
| $100,000 | $679,472.62 |
Buying power of $100 from 1974, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1974 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.0% | $100.00 |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.1% | $109.13 |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.8% | $115.42 |
| 1977 | 60.6 | 6.5% | $122.92 |
| 1978 | 65.2 | 7.6% | $132.25 |
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $147.26 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $167.14 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $184.38 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $195.74 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $202.03 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $210.75 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $218.26 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $222.31 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $230.43 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $239.96 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $251.52 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $265.11 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $276.27 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $284.58 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $293.10 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $300.61 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $309.13 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $318.26 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $325.56 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $330.63 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $337.93 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $349.29 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $359.23 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $364.91 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $373.23 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $383.16 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $396.15 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $408.92 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $420.57 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $436.72 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $435.17 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $442.30 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $456.27 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $465.71 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $472.53 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $480.19 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $480.76 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $486.83 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $497.20 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $509.34 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $518.57 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $524.97 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $549.63 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $593.62 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $618.06 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $636.29 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $653.03 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $679.47 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1974 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 49.3) = $679.47. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1974 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1974 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 $14.72 in 1974.
Other years
1964 dollars today · 1969 dollars today · 1972 dollars today · 1973 dollars today · 1975 dollars today · 1976 dollars today · 1979 dollars today · 1984 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
