Inflation Record$100 in 1936 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$2,395.98
+2296.0% cumulative inflation · 1936–2026
Your $100 in 1936 would have the purchasing power of $2,395.98 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1936 had the same average buying power as $2,395.98 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2296.0% across this 90-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 95.8%.
- 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 1936 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $23.96 |
| $5 | $119.80 |
| $10 | $239.60 |
| $20 | $479.20 |
| $50 | $1,197.99 |
| $100 | $2,395.98 |
| $500 | $11,979.90 |
| $1,000 | $23,959.80 |
| $10,000 | $239,598.00 |
| $100,000 | $2,395,979.97 |
Key facts about 1936
- Consumer prices rose 1.0% in 1936 — the 91st-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1936, Food rose the most: 2376.5% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1936, prices rose 40.7% in total.
$100 in 1936, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | $140.75 | +40.7% |
| 1956 | $196.03 | +96.0% |
| 1966 | $234.07 | +134.1% |
| 1976 | $410.40 | +310.4% |
| 1986 | $790.44 | +690.4% |
| 1996 | $1,131.13 | +1031.1% |
| 2006 | $1,453.79 | +1353.8% |
| 2016 | $1,730.82 | +1630.8% |
| 2026 | $2,395.98 | +2296.0% |
Monthly CPI in 1936
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 13.800 | 1.5% |
| February | 13.800 | 0.7% |
| March | 13.700 | 0.0% |
| April | 13.700 | -0.7% |
| May | 13.700 | -0.7% |
| June | 13.800 | 0.7% |
| July | 13.900 | 1.5% |
| August | 14.000 | 2.2% |
| September | 14.000 | 2.2% |
| October | 14.000 | 2.2% |
| November | 14.000 | 1.4% |
| December | 14.000 | 1.4% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1936: 13.867.
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 (1936 annual average): 13.867 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 23.9598
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 1935 · All years · $100 in 1937 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada