$100 in 1929 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,936.33
+1836.3% cumulative inflation · 1929–2026
Your $100 in 1929 would have the purchasing power of $1,936.33 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1929 had the same average buying power as $1,936.33 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1836.3% across this 97-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 94.8%.
- 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 1929 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $19.36 |
| $5 | $96.82 |
| $10 | $193.63 |
| $20 | $387.27 |
| $50 | $968.17 |
| $100 | $1,936.33 |
| $500 | $9,681.67 |
| $1,000 | $19,363.33 |
| $10,000 | $193,633.35 |
| $100,000 | $1,936,333.50 |
Key facts about 1929
- Consumer prices were essentially flat in 1929 (0.0% on an annual-average basis) — a calm year by historical standards.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1929, Food rose the most: 1791.9% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1929, prices fell 18.9% in total — a deflation decade.
$100 in 1929, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | $81.06 | -18.9% |
| 1949 | $138.76 | +38.8% |
| 1959 | $169.89 | +69.9% |
| 1969 | $213.79 | +113.8% |
| 1979 | $422.97 | +323.0% |
| 1989 | $722.49 | +622.5% |
| 1999 | $970.81 | +870.8% |
| 2009 | $1,250.34 | +1150.3% |
| 2019 | $1,489.99 | +1390.0% |
| 2026 | $1,936.33 | +1836.3% |
Monthly CPI in 1929
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17.100 | -1.2% |
| February | 17.100 | 0.0% |
| March | 17.000 | -0.6% |
| April | 16.900 | -1.2% |
| May | 17.000 | -1.2% |
| June | 17.100 | 0.0% |
| July | 17.300 | 1.2% |
| August | 17.300 | 1.2% |
| September | 17.300 | 0.0% |
| October | 17.300 | 0.6% |
| November | 17.300 | 0.6% |
| December | 17.200 | 0.6% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1929: 17.158.
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 (1929 annual average): 17.158 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 19.3633
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 1928 · All years · $100 in 1930 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada