Inflation Record$100 in 1938 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$2,357.72
+2257.7% cumulative inflation · 1938–2026
Your $100 in 1938 would have the purchasing power of $2,357.72 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1938 had the same average buying power as $2,357.72 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2257.7% across this 88-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 1938 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $23.58 |
| $5 | $117.89 |
| $10 | $235.77 |
| $20 | $471.54 |
| $50 | $1,178.86 |
| $100 | $2,357.72 |
| $500 | $11,788.62 |
| $1,000 | $23,577.24 |
| $10,000 | $235,772.36 |
| $100,000 | $2,357,723.63 |
Key facts about 1938
- 1938 was one of only 13 years since 1913 in which consumer prices fell on an annual-average basis (-2.0%).
- Among the major categories tracked since 1938, Food rose the most: 2463.2% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1938, prices rose 70.6% in total.
$100 in 1938, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | $170.61 | +70.6% |
| 1958 | $204.79 | +104.8% |
| 1968 | $246.84 | +146.8% |
| 1978 | $462.92 | +362.9% |
| 1988 | $839.21 | +739.2% |
| 1998 | $1,156.77 | +1056.8% |
| 2008 | $1,527.87 | +1427.9% |
| 2018 | $1,781.95 | +1682.0% |
| 2026 | $2,357.72 | +2257.7% |
Monthly CPI in 1938
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 14.200 | 0.7% |
| February | 14.100 | 0.0% |
| March | 14.100 | -0.7% |
| April | 14.200 | -0.7% |
| May | 14.100 | -2.1% |
| June | 14.100 | -2.1% |
| July | 14.100 | -2.8% |
| August | 14.100 | -2.8% |
| September | 14.100 | -3.4% |
| October | 14.000 | -4.1% |
| November | 14.000 | -3.4% |
| December | 14.000 | -2.8% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1938: 14.092.
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 (1938 annual average): 14.092 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 23.5772
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 1937 · All years · $100 in 1939 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada