Inflation Record$100 in 1928 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,936.33
+1836.3% cumulative inflation · 1928–2026
Your $100 in 1928 would have the purchasing power of $1,936.33 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1928 had the same average buying power as $1,936.33 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1836.3% across this 98-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 94.8%.
- 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 1928 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $19.36 |
| $5 | $96.82 |
| $10 | $193.63 |
| $20 | $387.27 |
| $50 | $968.17 |
| $100 | $1,936.33 |
| $500 | $9,681.67 |
| $1,000 | $19,363.33 |
| $10,000 | $193,633.35 |
| $100,000 | $1,936,333.50 |
Key facts about 1928
- 1928 was one of only 13 years since 1913 in which consumer prices fell on an annual-average basis (-1.2%).
- Among the major categories tracked since 1928, Food rose the most: 1816.2% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1928, prices fell 17.9% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1928, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | $82.13 | -17.9% |
| 1948 | $140.12 | +40.1% |
| 1958 | $168.19 | +68.2% |
| 1968 | $202.72 | +102.7% |
| 1978 | $380.18 | +280.2% |
| 1988 | $689.22 | +589.2% |
| 1998 | $950.02 | +850.0% |
| 2008 | $1,254.80 | +1154.8% |
| 2018 | $1,463.47 | +1363.5% |
| 2026 | $1,936.33 | +1836.3% |
Monthly CPI in 1928
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17.300 | -1.1% |
| February | 17.100 | -1.7% |
| March | 17.100 | -1.2% |
| April | 17.100 | -1.2% |
| May | 17.200 | -1.1% |
| June | 17.100 | -2.8% |
| July | 17.100 | -1.2% |
| August | 17.100 | -0.6% |
| September | 17.300 | 0.0% |
| October | 17.200 | -1.1% |
| November | 17.200 | -0.6% |
| December | 17.100 | -1.2% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1928: 17.158.
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 (1928 annual average): 17.158 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 19.3633
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 1927 · All years · $100 in 1929 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada