Inflation Record
$100 in 1974 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
$673.81
+573.8% cumulative inflation · 1974–2026
Your $100 in 1974 would have the purchasing power of $673.81 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1974 had the same average buying power as $673.81 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 573.8% across this 52-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 85.2%.
- 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 1974 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $6.74 |
| $5 | $33.69 |
| $10 | $67.38 |
| $20 | $134.76 |
| $50 | $336.90 |
| $100 | $673.81 |
| $500 | $3,369.03 |
| $1,000 | $6,738.06 |
| $10,000 | $67,380.61 |
| $100,000 | $673,806.10 |
Key facts about 1974
- Consumer prices rose 11.1% in 1974 — the 8th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1974, Medical care rose the most: 1155.1% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1974, prices rose 110.7% in total.
$100 in 1974, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $210.68 | +110.7% |
| 1994 | $300.61 | +200.6% |
| 2004 | $383.07 | +283.1% |
| 2014 | $480.11 | +380.1% |
| 2024 | $636.18 | +536.2% |
| 2026 | $673.81 | +573.8% |
Monthly CPI in 1974
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 46.600 | 9.4% |
| February | 47.200 | 10.0% |
| March | 47.800 | 10.4% |
| April | 48.000 | 10.1% |
| May | 48.600 | 10.7% |
| June | 49.000 | 10.9% |
| July | 49.400 | 11.5% |
| August | 50.000 | 10.9% |
| September | 50.600 | 11.9% |
| October | 51.100 | 12.1% |
| November | 51.500 | 12.2% |
| December | 51.900 | 12.3% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1974: 49.308.
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 (1974 annual average): 49.308 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 6.7381
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: BLS data finder.