What $100 Is Worth in Every Decade Since 1920
By Global Tools Research · Published August 2, 2026
A dollar does not buy what it used to. Using official US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we can measure exactly how much the buying power of money has eroded over the past century. Here is what $100 from each decade would be worth in 2024 dollars.
$100 by Decade, Adjusted to 2024
| $100 in… | Worth in 2024 | Total inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | $1,568 | 1,468% |
| 1930 | $1,878 | 1,778% |
| 1940 | $2,241 | 2,141% |
| 1950 | $1,302 | 1,202% |
| 1960 | $1,060 | 960% |
| 1970 | $809 | 709% |
| 1980 | $381 | 281% |
| 1990 | $240 | 140% |
| 2000 | $182 | 82% |
| 2010 | $144 | 44% |
| 2020 | $121 | 21% |
Why 1940 Beats 1920
Notice that $100 in 1940 is worth more today than $100 in 1920 or 1950. That is because prices actually fell during the Great Depression of the 1930s — the CPI in 1940 (14.0) was lower than in 1920 (20.0). Deflation, though rare, does happen.
The Long-Run Average
Across the whole period, US inflation has averaged a little over 3% per year. That sounds small, but compounded over decades it is why $100 from 1920 needs more than $1,500 to match its original purchasing power today.
Want to check a specific year and amount? Use our Inflation Calculator to convert any US dollar amount between any two years from 1913 to today.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages. Figures are national annual averages and reflect overall inflation, not specific goods or local prices.