Inflation Record$100 in 1955 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,240.87
+1140.9% cumulative inflation · 1955–2026
Your $100 in 1955 would have the purchasing power of $1,240.87 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1955 had the same average buying power as $1,240.87 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1140.9% across this 71-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 91.9%.
- 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 1955 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $12.41 |
| $5 | $62.04 |
| $10 | $124.09 |
| $20 | $248.17 |
| $50 | $620.43 |
| $100 | $1,240.87 |
| $500 | $6,204.34 |
| $1,000 | $12,408.69 |
| $10,000 | $124,086.86 |
| $100,000 | $1,240,868.55 |
Key facts about 1955
- 1955 was one of only 13 years since 1913 in which consumer prices fell on an annual-average basis (-0.3%).
- Among the major categories tracked since 1955, Medical care rose the most: 2815.1% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1955, prices rose 17.7% in total.
$100 in 1955, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | $117.68 | +17.7% |
| 1975 | $201.00 | +101.0% |
| 1985 | $401.74 | +301.7% |
| 1995 | $569.13 | +469.1% |
| 2005 | $729.38 | +629.4% |
| 2015 | $885.22 | +785.2% |
| 2025 | $1,202.40 | +1102.4% |
| 2026 | $1,240.87 | +1140.9% |
Monthly CPI in 1955
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 26.700 | -0.7% |
| February | 26.700 | -0.7% |
| March | 26.700 | -0.7% |
| April | 26.700 | -0.4% |
| May | 26.700 | -0.7% |
| June | 26.700 | -0.7% |
| July | 26.800 | -0.4% |
| August | 26.800 | -0.4% |
| September | 26.900 | 0.4% |
| October | 26.900 | 0.4% |
| November | 26.900 | 0.4% |
| December | 26.800 | 0.4% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1955: 26.775.
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 (1955 annual average): 26.775 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 12.4087
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: BLS data finder.