Inflation Record$100 in 1962 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,098.32
+998.3% cumulative inflation · 1962–2026
Your $100 in 1962 would have the purchasing power of $1,098.32 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1962 had the same average buying power as $1,098.32 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 998.3% across this 64-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 90.9%.
- 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 1962 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $10.98 |
| $5 | $54.92 |
| $10 | $109.83 |
| $20 | $219.66 |
| $50 | $549.16 |
| $100 | $1,098.32 |
| $500 | $5,491.61 |
| $1,000 | $10,983.22 |
| $10,000 | $109,832.25 |
| $100,000 | $1,098,322.50 |
Key facts about 1962
- Consumer prices rose 1.2% in 1962 — the 88th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1962, Medical care rose the most: 2159.6% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1962, prices rose 38.2% in total.
$100 in 1962, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | $138.24 | +38.2% |
| 1982 | $319.01 | +219.0% |
| 1992 | $463.86 | +363.9% |
| 2002 | $594.63 | +494.6% |
| 2012 | $758.99 | +659.0% |
| 2022 | $967.45 | +867.5% |
| 2026 | $1,098.32 | +998.3% |
Monthly CPI in 1962
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 30.000 | 0.7% |
| February | 30.100 | 1.0% |
| March | 30.100 | 1.0% |
| April | 30.200 | 1.3% |
| May | 30.200 | 1.3% |
| June | 30.200 | 1.3% |
| July | 30.300 | 1.0% |
| August | 30.300 | 1.3% |
| September | 30.400 | 1.3% |
| October | 30.400 | 1.3% |
| November | 30.400 | 1.3% |
| December | 30.400 | 1.3% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1962: 30.250.
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 (1962 annual average): 30.250 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 10.9832
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: BLS data finder.