Inflation Record$100 in 1948 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$1,381.94
+1281.9% cumulative inflation · 1948–2026
Your $100 in 1948 would have the purchasing power of $1,381.94 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1948 had the same average buying power as $1,381.94 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1281.9% across this 78-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 92.8%.
- 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 1948 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $13.82 |
| $5 | $69.10 |
| $10 | $138.19 |
| $20 | $276.39 |
| $50 | $690.97 |
| $100 | $1,381.94 |
| $500 | $6,909.72 |
| $1,000 | $13,819.45 |
| $10,000 | $138,194.48 |
| $100,000 | $1,381,944.77 |
Key facts about 1948
- Consumer prices rose 7.7% in 1948 — the 15th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1948, Medical care rose the most: 3599.2% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1948, prices rose 20.0% in total.
$100 in 1948, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | $120.03 | +20.0% |
| 1968 | $144.68 | +44.7% |
| 1978 | $271.33 | +171.3% |
| 1988 | $491.89 | +391.9% |
| 1998 | $678.02 | +578.0% |
| 2008 | $895.54 | +795.5% |
| 2018 | $1,044.47 | +944.5% |
| 2026 | $1,381.94 | +1281.9% |
Monthly CPI in 1948
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 23.700 | 10.2% |
| February | 23.500 | 9.3% |
| March | 23.400 | 6.8% |
| April | 23.800 | 8.7% |
| May | 23.900 | 9.1% |
| June | 24.100 | 9.5% |
| July | 24.400 | 9.9% |
| August | 24.500 | 8.9% |
| September | 24.500 | 6.5% |
| October | 24.400 | 6.1% |
| November | 24.200 | 4.8% |
| December | 24.100 | 3.0% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1948: 24.042.
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 (1948 annual average): 24.042 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 13.8194
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 1947 · All years · $100 in 1949 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada