Inflation by year
What $100 in 1970 is worth today
$100 in 1970 has the same buying power as $863.35 in August 2026. Prices have risen 763.4% since, an average of 3.92% a year.
Against the 2025 annual average instead of the latest month, it is $829.75.
Convert any amount from 1970
$100.00 in 1970 is worth
$863.35
in August 2026 — the same buying power
$763.35 more
Geometric mean over the period
It buys what this amount bought in 1970
The index behind it
Your amount multiplied by this ratio gives the answer
Annual averages of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, 1982–84 = 100, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026 has no annual average yet, so it uses August 2026, the latest month published.
What got more expensive
The headline rate averages things that behaved nothing like each other. Categories are published as annual averages only, so this compares 1970 with 2025, the last complete year.
| Category | Total change | A year |
|---|---|---|
| All items— the headline rate | +729.8% | 3.92% |
| Medical care | +1,606.2% | 5.29% |
| Other goods and services | +1,316.3% | 4.94% |
| Housing | +852.4% | 4.18% |
| Food and beverages | +739.4% | 3.94% |
| Transportation | +625.6% | 3.67% |
| Apparel | +121.8% | 1.46% |
Each category is measured against itself over the same years. The indices use different base periods, so their levels are not comparable with each other — only their changes are, which is all this shows. Not shown, because BLS began the series later than 1970: recreation (from 1993), education and communication (from 1993).
- Note: Based on CPI-U: 38.8 (1970 annual average) and 334.98 (August 2026, the latest month published), 1982–84 = 100.
1970 dollars in today’s money
| In 1970 | In August 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $8.63 |
| $5.00 | $43.17 |
| $10.00 | $86.34 |
| $20.00 | $172.67 |
| $50.00 | $431.68 |
| $100.00 | $863.35 |
| $500.00 | $4,316.75 |
| $1,000.00 | $8,633.51 |
| $5,000.00 | $43,167.53 |
| $10,000.00 | $86,335.05 |
| $100,000.00 | $863,350.52 |
Every row is the 1970 amount multiplied by the same ratio: CPI-U of 334.980 in August 2026 divided by 38.800, the 1970 annual average — 8.6335. Put the other way, a dollar today buys what $0.12 bought in 1970.
Inflation in 1970
Prices rose 5.7% between the 1969 and 1970 annual averages. Of the 112 years with a measured rate, from 1914 to 2025, that ranks 23rd from the highest.
Prices first stood at double their 1970 level in 1980, 10 years later.
The 1970s, year by year
Across 1970–1979, prices rose in 10 of the 10 years with a measured change. The sharpest rise was 11.3% in 1979. The mildest year was 1972, at 3.2%.
| Year | CPI-U | Change on the year before |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 38.800 | +5.7% |
| 1971 | 40.500 | +4.4% |
| 1972 | 41.800 | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 44.400 | +6.2% |
| 1974 | 49.300 | +11.0% |
| 1975 | 53.800 | +9.1% |
| 1976 | 56.900 | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 60.600 | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 65.200 | +7.6% |
| 1979 | 72.600 | +11.3% |
$100 from 1970, in every year since
Every year since 1970
| Year | $100 from 1970 | CPI-U | Inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | $100.00 | 38.800 | +5.7% |
| 1971 | $104.38 | 40.500 | +4.4% |
| 1972 | $107.73 | 41.800 | +3.2% |
| 1973 | $114.43 | 44.400 | +6.2% |
| 1974 | $127.06 | 49.300 | +11.0% |
| 1975 | $138.66 | 53.800 | +9.1% |
| 1976 | $146.65 | 56.900 | +5.8% |
| 1977 | $156.19 | 60.600 | +6.5% |
| 1978 | $168.04 | 65.200 | +7.6% |
| 1979 | $187.11 | 72.600 | +11.3% |
| 1980 | $212.37 | 82.400 | +13.5% |
| 1981 | $234.28 | 90.900 | +10.3% |
| 1982 | $248.71 | 96.500 | +6.2% |
| 1983 | $256.70 | 99.600 | +3.2% |
| 1984 | $267.78 | 103.900 | +4.3% |
| 1985 | $277.32 | 107.600 | +3.6% |
| 1986 | $282.47 | 109.600 | +1.9% |
| 1987 | $292.78 | 113.600 | +3.6% |
| 1988 | $304.90 | 118.300 | +4.1% |
| 1989 | $319.59 | 124.000 | +4.8% |
| 1990 | $336.86 | 130.700 | +5.4% |
| 1991 | $351.03 | 136.200 | +4.2% |
| 1992 | $361.60 | 140.300 | +3.0% |
| 1993 | $372.42 | 144.500 | +3.0% |
| 1994 | $381.96 | 148.200 | +2.6% |
| 1995 | $392.78 | 152.400 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | $404.38 | 156.900 | +3.0% |
| 1997 | $413.66 | 160.500 | +2.3% |
| 1998 | $420.10 | 163.000 | +1.6% |
| 1999 | $429.38 | 166.600 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | $443.81 | 172.200 | +3.4% |
| 2001 | $456.44 | 177.100 | +2.8% |
| 2002 | $463.66 | 179.900 | +1.6% |
| 2003 | $474.23 | 184.000 | +2.3% |
| 2004 | $486.86 | 188.900 | +2.7% |
| 2005 | $503.35 | 195.300 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | $519.59 | 201.600 | +3.2% |
| 2007 | $534.39 | 207.342 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | $554.90 | 215.303 | +3.8% |
| 2009 | $552.93 | 214.537 | −0.4% |
| 2010 | $562.00 | 218.056 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | $579.74 | 224.939 | +3.2% |
| 2012 | $591.74 | 229.594 | +2.1% |
| 2013 | $600.40 | 232.957 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | $610.14 | 236.736 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | $610.87 | 237.017 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | $618.57 | 240.007 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | $631.75 | 245.120 | +2.1% |
| 2018 | $647.18 | 251.107 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | $658.91 | 255.657 | +1.8% |
| 2020 | $667.04 | 258.811 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $698.38 | 270.970 | +4.7% |
| 2022 | $754.27 | 292.655 | +8.0% |
| 2023 | $785.31 | 304.702 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $808.48 | 313.689 | +2.9% |
| 2025 | $829.75 | 321.943 | +2.6% |
| August 2026 | $863.35 | 334.980 | — |
The first row is 1970 itself, where $100 is still $100. Each later row is that year’s CPI-U divided by 38.800, multiplied by $100 — the same arithmetic as the calculator above, applied once a year.
What got more expensive since 1970
The headline figure above averages things that moved very differently. Medical care and housing have outrun the index for decades; clothing has barely moved. If inflation has never matched your own experience, this is why — your basket is not the average basket.
| Category | Total change | A year |
|---|---|---|
| All items— the headline rate | +729.8% | 3.92% |
| Medical care | +1,606.2% | 5.29% |
| Other goods and services | +1,316.3% | 4.94% |
| Housing | +852.4% | 4.18% |
| Food and beverages | +739.4% | 3.94% |
| Transportation | +625.6% | 3.67% |
| Apparel | +121.8% | 1.46% |
Each category is measured against itself over the same years. The indices use different base periods, so their levels are not comparable with each other — only their changes are, which is all this shows. Not shown, because BLS began the series later than 1970: recreation (from 1993), education and communication (from 1993).
What this cannot tell you
CPI is a national average, and your own prices will differ. Housing, healthcare and education have risen much faster than the index as a whole, and some goods — electronics above all — have become far cheaper.
It does not capture regional differences. A dollar in 1970 went further in some places than others, and still does.
The basket itself has changed. People in 1970 did not buy what people buy now, so the ratio is exact arithmetic on a comparison that is looser than a single number suggests.
August 2026 is one month, not a year. Monthly figures carry some seasonal movement, so this headline shifts slightly each month until BLS publishes the full-year average.
Other years
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items (series CUUR0000SA0). Annual averages for complete years, and the latest monthly value for the current one. The data is checked against BLS every month and was last updated on .