$100 in 1979 is worth $461.40 in August 2026 dollars. Prices are 361.4% higher than they were in 1979, an average inflation rate of 3.30% a year over roughly 47 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Inflation in 1979
The average CPI-U in 1979 was 72.6, up from 65.2 in 1978 — an annual inflation rate of 11.3%.
1979 was a year of double-digit inflation.
That rate was higher than in 105 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 1979 level by 1994, 15 years later.
Value of $100 from 1979 over time
1979 dollars in today’s dollars
| 1979 dollars | August 2026 dollars |
|---|---|
| $1 | $4.61 |
| $5 | $23.07 |
| $10 | $46.14 |
| $20 | $92.28 |
| $50 | $230.70 |
| $100 | $461.40 |
| $500 | $2,307.02 |
| $1,000 | $4,614.05 |
| $5,000 | $23,070.25 |
| $10,000 | $46,140.50 |
| $50,000 | $230,702.48 |
| $100,000 | $461,404.96 |
Buying power of $100 from 1979, year by year
| Year | Avg CPI-U | Inflation that year | Equivalent of $100 from 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 72.6 | 11.3% | $100.00 |
| 1980 | 82.4 | 13.5% | $113.50 |
| 1981 | 90.9 | 10.3% | $125.21 |
| 1982 | 96.5 | 6.2% | $132.92 |
| 1983 | 99.6 | 3.2% | $137.19 |
| 1984 | 103.900 | 4.3% | $143.11 |
| 1985 | 107.600 | 3.6% | $148.21 |
| 1986 | 109.600 | 1.9% | $150.96 |
| 1987 | 113.600 | 3.6% | $156.47 |
| 1988 | 118.300 | 4.1% | $162.95 |
| 1989 | 124.000 | 4.8% | $170.80 |
| 1990 | 130.700 | 5.4% | $180.03 |
| 1991 | 136.200 | 4.2% | $187.60 |
| 1992 | 140.300 | 3.0% | $193.25 |
| 1993 | 144.500 | 3.0% | $199.04 |
| 1994 | 148.200 | 2.6% | $204.13 |
| 1995 | 152.400 | 2.8% | $209.92 |
| 1996 | 156.900 | 3.0% | $216.12 |
| 1997 | 160.500 | 2.3% | $221.07 |
| 1998 | 163.000 | 1.6% | $224.52 |
| 1999 | 166.600 | 2.2% | $229.48 |
| 2000 | 172.200 | 3.4% | $237.19 |
| 2001 | 177.100 | 2.8% | $243.94 |
| 2002 | 179.900 | 1.6% | $247.80 |
| 2003 | 184.000 | 2.3% | $253.44 |
| 2004 | 188.900 | 2.7% | $260.19 |
| 2005 | 195.300 | 3.4% | $269.01 |
| 2006 | 201.600 | 3.2% | $277.69 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | 2.8% | $285.60 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | 3.8% | $296.56 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% | $295.51 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | 1.6% | $300.35 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | 3.2% | $309.83 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | 2.1% | $316.25 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | 1.5% | $320.88 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | 1.6% | $326.08 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | 0.1% | $326.47 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | 1.3% | $330.59 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | 2.1% | $337.63 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | 2.4% | $345.88 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | 1.8% | $352.14 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | 1.2% | $356.49 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | 4.7% | $373.24 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | 8.0% | $403.11 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | 4.1% | $419.70 |
| 2024 | 313.689 | 2.9% | $432.08 |
| 2025 | 321.943 | 2.6% | $443.45 |
| August 2026 | 334.980 | — | $461.40 |
How this is calculated
Value today = amount × (latest CPI-U ÷ 1979 average CPI-U). For $100: 100 × (334.980 ÷ 72.6) = $461.40. The average annual rate is the compound rate that turns 1979 prices into today’s over the elapsed time, measured from mid-1979 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 $21.67 in 1979.
Other years
1969 dollars today · 1974 dollars today · 1977 dollars today · 1978 dollars today · 1980 dollars today · 1981 dollars today · 1984 dollars today · 1989 dollars today · Inflation calculator (any two years)
