Inflation Record$100 in 1926 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,877.08
+1777.1% cumulative inflation · 1926–2026
Your $100 in 1926 would have the purchasing power of $1,877.08 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1926 had the same average buying power as $1,877.08 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1777.1% across this 100-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 94.7%.
- 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 1926 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $18.77 |
| $5 | $93.85 |
| $10 | $187.71 |
| $20 | $375.42 |
| $50 | $938.54 |
| $100 | $1,877.08 |
| $500 | $9,385.38 |
| $1,000 | $18,770.77 |
| $10,000 | $187,707.66 |
| $100,000 | $1,877,076.59 |
Key facts about 1926
- Consumer prices rose 0.9% in 1926 — the 94th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1926, Food rose the most: 1725.3% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1926, prices fell 21.7% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1926, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | $78.34 | -21.7% |
| 1946 | $110.26 | +10.3% |
| 1956 | $153.58 | +53.6% |
| 1966 | $183.38 | +83.4% |
| 1976 | $321.52 | +221.5% |
| 1986 | $619.26 | +519.3% |
| 1996 | $886.16 | +786.2% |
| 2006 | $1,138.94 | +1038.9% |
| 2016 | $1,355.97 | +1256.0% |
| 2026 | $1,877.08 | +1777.1% |
Monthly CPI in 1926
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17.900 | 3.5% |
| February | 17.900 | 4.1% |
| March | 17.800 | 2.9% |
| April | 17.900 | 4.1% |
| May | 17.800 | 2.9% |
| June | 17.700 | 1.1% |
| July | 17.500 | -1.1% |
| August | 17.400 | -1.7% |
| September | 17.500 | -1.1% |
| October | 17.600 | -0.6% |
| November | 17.700 | -1.7% |
| December | 17.700 | -1.1% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1926: 17.700.
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 (1926 annual average): 17.700 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 18.7708
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 1925 · All years · $100 in 1927 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada