Inflation Record$100 in 1932 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$2,435.50
+2335.5% cumulative inflation · 1932–2026
Your $100 in 1932 would have the purchasing power of $2,435.50 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1932 had the same average buying power as $2,435.50 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2335.5% across this 94-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 95.9%.
- 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 1932 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $24.35 |
| $5 | $121.77 |
| $10 | $243.55 |
| $20 | $487.10 |
| $50 | $1,217.75 |
| $100 | $2,435.50 |
| $500 | $12,177.49 |
| $1,000 | $24,354.98 |
| $10,000 | $243,549.83 |
| $100,000 | $2,435,498.27 |
Key facts about 1932
- 1932 was one of only 13 years since 1913 in which consumer prices fell on an annual-average basis (-10.3%).
- Among the major categories tracked since 1932, Food rose the most: 2801.8% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1932, prices rose 19.7% in total.
$100 in 1932, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | $119.73 | +19.7% |
| 1952 | $194.62 | +94.6% |
| 1962 | $221.75 | +121.7% |
| 1972 | $306.54 | +206.5% |
| 1982 | $707.39 | +607.4% |
| 1992 | $1,028.59 | +928.6% |
| 2002 | $1,318.57 | +1218.6% |
| 2012 | $1,683.03 | +1583.0% |
| 2022 | $2,145.30 | +2045.3% |
| 2026 | $2,435.50 | +2335.5% |
Monthly CPI in 1932
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 14.300 | -10.1% |
| February | 14.100 | -10.2% |
| March | 14.000 | -10.3% |
| April | 13.900 | -10.3% |
| May | 13.700 | -10.5% |
| June | 13.600 | -9.9% |
| July | 13.600 | -9.9% |
| August | 13.500 | -10.6% |
| September | 13.400 | -10.7% |
| October | 13.300 | -10.7% |
| November | 13.200 | -10.2% |
| December | 13.100 | -10.3% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1932: 13.642.
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 (1932 annual average): 13.642 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 24.3550
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 1931 · All years · $100 in 1933 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada