Dollars World

Then & now

Inflation Calculator

What is a dollar from any year worth today?

$

U.S. consumer prices (CPI-U) from 1913 to August 2026. Full years use the annual average; 2026 uses the latest month published.

Same buying power

$256.38

$100 in 1990 buys the same as $256.38 in August 2026.

Total price change
156.4%
Average per year
—
Index (CPI-U)
130.658 → 334.98

What it costs, year by year

What $100 of 1990 spending cost in each year since.

What $100 from each decade is worth in 2026

FromWorth in August 2026Prices since then
1920$1,671.3916.71×
1930$2,005.8720.06×
1940$2,391.3523.91×
1950$1,391.8613.92×
1960$1,132.6511.33×
1970$862.798.63×
1980$406.494.06×
1990$256.382.56×
2000$194.531.95×
2010$153.621.54×
2020$129.431.29×

How it works

The calculator uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), the Bureau of Labor Statistics' main measure of U.S. inflation. It tracks the price of a basket of goods and services bought by urban households, and it goes back to 1913.

Value in later year = amount × (CPI in later year ÷ CPI in earlier year)

For complete years we use the average of that year's monthly index. For 2026 we use the latest month published, August 2026, so the answer moves a little each month as new data arrives.

Worked example

The CPI averaged 130.658 in 1990 and stood at 334.98 in August 2026.

$100 × (334.98 ÷ 130.658) = $256.38. Prices have risen 156% since 1990.

Things to know

  • Your own inflation may differ. The CPI follows an average household. Rent, healthcare and tuition have risen faster than the average; electronics much slower.
  • It works backwards too. Put the later year first to see what today's money would have been worth in the past.
  • 2025 has a gap. BLS did not publish an index for October 2025, because data collection stopped during the federal government shutdown. The 2025 average uses the 11 months that were published.
  • This is U.S. inflation. For how far a dollar goes in other countries today, try The Dollar Around the World.

Questions people ask

What is the inflation rate right now?

Consumer prices were 3.4% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, based on the unadjusted CPI-U. BLS headlines the same measure each month.

What is $1 from 1913 worth today?

About $33.89. Prices are roughly 34 times higher than in 1913.

How much buying power has the dollar lost since 2000?

About 49%. A dollar in August 2026 buys what 51 cents bought in 2000.

Why doesn't this match another inflation calculator?

Calculators differ in whether they use annual averages or a single month, and which CPI series they use. The official BLS calculator works month to month; we use annual averages for past years, which smooths out seasonal swings.

Sources

Reviewed September 24, 2026 by The Dollars World team. How we build and check our calculators. This is general information, not financial advice.