Inflation Record$100 in 1935 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$2,420.71
+2320.7% cumulative inflation · 1935–2026
Your $100 in 1935 would have the purchasing power of $2,420.71 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1935 had the same average buying power as $2,420.71 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2320.7% across this 91-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 1935 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $24.21 |
| $5 | $121.04 |
| $10 | $242.07 |
| $20 | $484.14 |
| $50 | $1,210.36 |
| $100 | $2,420.71 |
| $500 | $12,103.55 |
| $1,000 | $24,207.11 |
| $10,000 | $242,071.08 |
| $100,000 | $2,420,710.79 |
Key facts about 1935
- Consumer prices rose 2.6% in 1935 — the 61st-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1935, Food rose the most: 2398.1% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1935, prices rose 31.1% in total.
$100 in 1935, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | $131.09 | +31.1% |
| 1955 | $195.08 | +95.1% |
| 1965 | $229.57 | +129.6% |
| 1975 | $392.11 | +292.1% |
| 1985 | $783.73 | +683.7% |
| 1995 | $1,110.26 | +1010.3% |
| 2005 | $1,422.89 | +1322.9% |
| 2015 | $1,726.90 | +1626.9% |
| 2025 | $2,345.67 | +2245.7% |
| 2026 | $2,420.71 | +2320.7% |
Monthly CPI in 1935
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 13.600 | 3.0% |
| February | 13.700 | 3.0% |
| March | 13.700 | 3.0% |
| April | 13.800 | 3.8% |
| May | 13.800 | 3.8% |
| June | 13.700 | 2.2% |
| July | 13.700 | 2.2% |
| August | 13.700 | 2.2% |
| September | 13.700 | 0.7% |
| October | 13.700 | 1.5% |
| November | 13.800 | 2.2% |
| December | 13.800 | 3.0% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1935: 13.725.
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 (1935 annual average): 13.725 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 24.2071
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 1934 · All years · $100 in 1936 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada