Inflation Record$100 in 1923 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,948.64
+1848.6% cumulative inflation · 1923–2026
Your $100 in 1923 would have the purchasing power of $1,948.64 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1923 had the same average buying power as $1,948.64 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1848.6% across this 103-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 94.9%.
- This measures the broad basket of consumer goods and services (CPI-U). Individual expenses — housing, medical care, tuition — moved at different rates.
What this means in other amounts
| In 1923 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $19.49 |
| $5 | $97.43 |
| $10 | $194.86 |
| $20 | $389.73 |
| $50 | $974.32 |
| $100 | $1,948.64 |
| $500 | $9,743.18 |
| $1,000 | $19,486.37 |
| $10,000 | $194,863.67 |
| $100,000 | $1,948,636.69 |
Key facts about 1923
- Consumer prices rose 1.8% in 1923 — the 73rd-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1923, Food rose the most: 1923.1% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1923, prices fell 24.1% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1923, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1933 | $75.86 | -24.1% |
| 1943 | $101.52 | +1.5% |
| 1953 | $156.99 | +57.0% |
| 1963 | $179.62 | +79.6% |
| 1973 | $260.41 | +160.4% |
| 1983 | $584.16 | +484.2% |
| 1993 | $847.26 | +747.3% |
| 2003 | $1,078.93 | +978.9% |
| 2013 | $1,366.32 | +1266.3% |
| 2023 | $1,787.11 | +1687.1% |
| 2026 | $1,948.64 | +1848.6% |
Monthly CPI in 1923
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 16.800 | -0.6% |
| February | 16.800 | -0.6% |
| March | 16.800 | 0.6% |
| April | 16.900 | 1.2% |
| May | 16.900 | 1.2% |
| June | 17.000 | 1.8% |
| July | 17.200 | 2.4% |
| August | 17.100 | 3.0% |
| September | 17.200 | 3.6% |
| October | 17.300 | 3.6% |
| November | 17.300 | 3.0% |
| December | 17.300 | 2.4% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1923: 17.050.
Verify this calculation
Series: CUUR0000SA0 (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, All Items, U.S. City Average; Not seasonally adjusted (NSA); base 1982-84=100).
Index (1923 annual average): 17.050 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 19.4864
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: BLS data finder.
Cite this page
← $100 in 1922 · All years · $100 in 1924 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada