How to use the calculator
- Enter an amount, for example a price, a salary or a sum of savings.
- Pick the From year. Leave the month on Year average, or choose a single month.
- Pick the To year and month. It starts on the latest month with published CPI data.
To go backwards, set the From date later than the To date: “$100 today had the same buying power as $11.52 in 1970”.
How it is calculated
value in To = amount × CPI(To) / CPI(From)
average inflation a year = (CPI(later) / CPI(earlier))^(1 / years) − 1The data is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), all items, US city average, not seasonally adjusted, published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics since January 1913. It is the index behind the inflation rate in the news. A year means the average of its 12 months, as in official yearly figures. October 2025 was never published because of the government shutdown; the calculator uses the midpoint of September and November for that month.
What $100 from past years is worth in September 2026
| $100 in | Worth in Sep 2026 | Prices rose | Average a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | $3,409 | +3,309% | 3.17% |
| 1950 | $1,400 | +1,300% | 3.52% |
| 1970 | $868 | +768% | 3.92% |
| 1980 | $409 | +309% | 3.09% |
| 2000 | $196 | +96% | 2.59% |
| 2010 | $155 | +55% | 2.72% |
| 2020 | $130 | +30% | 4.34% |
Over more than a century, US prices have risen a little over 3% a year on average, but the path was uneven. Prices rose fastest in 1917–1920 and in 1947, and inflation reached 13.5% in 1980. Prices fell in the early 1930s, in 1949, 1955 and 2009.
Ways to use historical inflation
- Compare prices across time: a 1970 car price, a 1990 house price or a grandparent’s wage in today’s money.
- Check a pay rise: the salary inflation calculator compares an old and a new salary after inflation.
- Judge an investment: the real return calculator takes inflation off a stock’s return.
- Plan ahead: the inflation calculator projects future prices at a rate you choose.
Frequently asked questions
How much is $100 from 1970 worth today?
About $868 in September 2026 prices, based on the US CPI. Prices rose about 768% from the 1970 average, an average of 3.9% a year.
What is the average US inflation rate?
Since 1913 US consumer prices have risen about 3.2% a year on average. Since 2000 the average is about 2.6% a year, and since 2020 about 4.3%, because of the 2021–2023 surge.
Which CPI does the calculator use?
The CPI-U for all items, US city average, not seasonally adjusted, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is the series used for the official inflation rate and for most inflation calculators, with monthly data from January 1913.
Why is a year average different from a single month?
Prices change during the year. The year average is the mean of the 12 monthly index values, so it sits in the middle of the year. Comparing December to December gives a slightly different rate; the yearly table shows both.
Why is October 2025 missing?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not collect or publish October 2025 CPI data because of the US government shutdown. The calculator uses the midpoint of the September and November 2025 values for that month.
When is the latest month added?
The BLS publishes CPI about two weeks after each month ends. The calculator data updates on the day it is released.
Can I put this calculator on my website?
Yes. It is free for any site. Use the embed code generator at the bottom of this page, copy the code and paste it into your page. Please keep the credit line with the two links under the calculator.
Related calculators
- Salary Inflation CalculatorWhether your pay kept up with prices: an old salary in today’s money and your real raise.
- Inflation CalculatorWhat things will cost in the future and how much of its value your money loses.
- Real Return Calculator (Inflation-Adjusted)The return of any US stock or ETF after inflation between two months, in total and per year.
- Cash vs Inflation CalculatorHow cash in a money market fund or earning nothing did against inflation, month by month since 1954.
See all free investing calculators, or add live stock quotes to your site with the free stock widgets.
Add this calculator to your website
The calculator is free to embed on any website, personal or commercial, and works on WordPress, Blogger, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Ghost and plain HTML. Choose the options, copy the code and paste it into your page.
Preview: this is how the calculator and the credit line will look on your page
Free for personal and commercial websites. Please keep the “by Quotelinks” credit line under the calculator visible and unchanged, and don’t modify the calculator or present it as your own. The <script> line is optional: it sizes the frame to fit the calculator; if your platform removes scripts, the calculator still works at the fixed height. Based on the US CPI-U for all items, not seasonally adjusted. Prices of individual goods and local prices can change very differently. For illustration only, not financial advice.