Inflation Record$100 in 1930 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,989.48
+1889.5% cumulative inflation · 1930–2026
Your $100 in 1930 would have the purchasing power of $1,989.48 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1930 had the same average buying power as $1,989.48 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1889.5% across this 96-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 95.0%.
- 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 1930 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $19.89 |
| $5 | $99.47 |
| $10 | $198.95 |
| $20 | $397.90 |
| $50 | $994.74 |
| $100 | $1,989.48 |
| $500 | $9,947.38 |
| $1,000 | $19,894.76 |
| $10,000 | $198,947.64 |
| $100,000 | $1,989,476.38 |
Key facts about 1930
- 1930 was one of only 13 years since 1913 in which consumer prices fell on an annual-average basis (-2.7%).
- Among the major categories tracked since 1930, Food rose the most: 1888.6% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1930, prices fell 16.1% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1930, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | $83.88 | -16.1% |
| 1950 | $144.11 | +44.1% |
| 1960 | $177.10 | +77.1% |
| 1970 | $232.49 | +132.5% |
| 1980 | $493.46 | +393.5% |
| 1990 | $782.39 | +682.4% |
| 2000 | $1,031.14 | +931.1% |
| 2010 | $1,305.72 | +1205.7% |
| 2020 | $1,549.77 | +1449.8% |
| 2026 | $1,989.48 | +1889.5% |
Monthly CPI in 1930
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17.100 | 0.0% |
| February | 17.000 | -0.6% |
| March | 16.900 | -0.6% |
| April | 17.000 | 0.6% |
| May | 16.900 | -0.6% |
| June | 16.800 | -1.8% |
| July | 16.600 | -4.0% |
| August | 16.500 | -4.6% |
| September | 16.600 | -4.0% |
| October | 16.500 | -4.6% |
| November | 16.400 | -5.2% |
| December | 16.100 | -6.4% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1930: 16.700.
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 (1930 annual average): 16.700 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 19.8948
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 1929 · All years · $100 in 1931 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada