Inflation Record$100 in 1937 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$2,309.91
+2209.9% cumulative inflation · 1937–2026
Your $100 in 1937 would have the purchasing power of $2,309.91 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1937 had the same average buying power as $2,309.91 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2209.9% across this 89-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 95.7%.
- 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 1937 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $23.10 |
| $5 | $115.50 |
| $10 | $230.99 |
| $20 | $461.98 |
| $50 | $1,154.96 |
| $100 | $2,309.91 |
| $500 | $11,549.57 |
| $1,000 | $23,099.13 |
| $10,000 | $230,991.35 |
| $100,000 | $2,309,913.48 |
Key facts about 1937
- Consumer prices rose 3.7% in 1937 — the 36th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1937, Food rose the most: 2278.7% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1937, prices rose 55.2% in total.
$100 in 1937, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | $155.21 | +55.2% |
| 1957 | $195.31 | +95.3% |
| 1967 | $231.92 | +131.9% |
| 1977 | $421.38 | +321.4% |
| 1987 | $789.98 | +690.0% |
| 1997 | $1,115.99 | +1016.0% |
| 2007 | $1,441.55 | +1341.5% |
| 2017 | $1,704.19 | +1604.2% |
| 2026 | $2,309.91 | +2209.9% |
Monthly CPI in 1937
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 14.100 | 2.2% |
| February | 14.100 | 2.2% |
| March | 14.200 | 3.6% |
| April | 14.300 | 4.4% |
| May | 14.400 | 5.1% |
| June | 14.400 | 4.3% |
| July | 14.500 | 4.3% |
| August | 14.500 | 3.6% |
| September | 14.600 | 4.3% |
| October | 14.600 | 4.3% |
| November | 14.500 | 3.6% |
| December | 14.400 | 2.9% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1937: 14.383.
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 (1937 annual average): 14.383 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 23.0991
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 1936 · All years · $100 in 1938 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada