Inflation Record$100 in 1934 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$2,482.51
+2382.5% cumulative inflation · 1934–2026
Your $100 in 1934 would have the purchasing power of $2,482.51 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1934 had the same average buying power as $2,482.51 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2382.5% across this 92-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 96.0%.
- 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 1934 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $24.83 |
| $5 | $124.13 |
| $10 | $248.25 |
| $20 | $496.50 |
| $50 | $1,241.25 |
| $100 | $2,482.51 |
| $500 | $12,412.55 |
| $1,000 | $24,825.10 |
| $10,000 | $248,250.98 |
| $100,000 | $2,482,509.76 |
Key facts about 1934
- Consumer prices rose 3.5% in 1934 — the 39th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1934, Food rose the most: 2581.0% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1934, prices rose 31.4% in total.
$100 in 1934, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1944 | $131.44 | +31.4% |
| 1954 | $200.62 | +100.6% |
| 1964 | $231.76 | +131.8% |
| 1974 | $368.43 | +268.4% |
| 1984 | $776.21 | +676.2% |
| 1994 | $1,107.53 | +1007.5% |
| 2004 | $1,411.33 | +1311.3% |
| 2014 | $1,768.89 | +1668.9% |
| 2024 | $2,343.88 | +2243.9% |
| 2026 | $2,482.51 | +2382.5% |
Monthly CPI in 1934
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 13.200 | 2.3% |
| February | 13.300 | 4.7% |
| March | 13.300 | 5.6% |
| April | 13.300 | 5.6% |
| May | 13.300 | 5.6% |
| June | 13.400 | 5.5% |
| July | 13.400 | 2.3% |
| August | 13.400 | 1.5% |
| September | 13.600 | 3.0% |
| October | 13.500 | 2.3% |
| November | 13.500 | 2.3% |
| December | 13.400 | 1.5% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1934: 13.383.
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 (1934 annual average): 13.383 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 24.8251
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 1933 · All years · $100 in 1935 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada