$100 in 1926 has the same buying power as about $1,877 in 2026. Prices rose 1,777.1% over 100 years, an average of 2.98% per year, and the dollar lost about 95% of its 1926 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1926- Cumulative inflation
- 1,777.1%
- Average per year
- 2.98%
- Inflation rate in 1926
- 1.1%
- CPI-U 1926 → 2026
- 17.7 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×18.771
On the time scale
1926 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1926 in context: Postwar deflation and the 1920s
Prices peaked in 1920 and then fell hard as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates and wartime demand disappeared: the CPI dropped about 16% from 1920 to 1922, one of the steepest declines on record. The rest of the decade was unusually calm, with annual changes between −1.7% and +2.3%, even as output, stock prices, and consumer credit grew quickly.
- Inflation in 1926 was 1.1%, the 25th lowest annual rate of the 112 full years from 1914 to 2025.
- From 1920 to 1929, inflation averaged -0.12% a year, from a high of 15.6% in 1920 to a low of -10.5% in 1921.
- Prices first reached double their 1926 level in 1969, 43 years later.
Read more: The history of US inflation
1926 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1926 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $18.77 |
| $5 | $93.85 |
| $10 | $187.71 |
| $20 | $375.42 |
| $50 | $938.54 |
| $100 | $1,877 |
| $500 | $9,385 |
| $1,000 | $18,771 |
| $10,000 | $187,708 |
| $100,000 | $1,877,079 |
Value of $100 from 1926, year by year
What $100 from 1926 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1926 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | $100 | 1.1% |
| 1927 | $98.31 | -1.7% |
| 1928 | $96.61 | -1.7% |
| 1929 | $96.61 | 0.0% |
| 1930 | $94.35 | -2.3% |
| 1931 | $85.88 | -9.0% |
| 1932 | $77.40 | -9.9% |
| 1933 | $73.45 | -5.1% |
| 1934 | $75.71 | 3.1% |
| 1935 | $77.40 | 2.2% |
| 1936 | $78.53 | 1.5% |
| 1937 | $81.36 | 3.6% |
| 1938 | $79.66 | -2.1% |
| 1939 | $78.53 | -1.4% |
| 1940 | $79.10 | 0.7% |
| 1941 | $83.05 | 5.0% |
| 1942 | $92.09 | 10.9% |
| 1943 | $97.74 | 6.1% |
| 1944 | $99.44 | 1.7% |
| 1945 | $101.69 | 2.3% |
| 1946 | $110.17 | 8.3% |
| 1947 | $125.99 | 14.4% |
| 1948 | $136.16 | 8.1% |
| 1949 | $134.46 | -1.2% |
| 1950 | $136.16 | 1.3% |
| 1951 | $146.89 | 7.9% |
| 1952 | $149.72 | 1.9% |
| 1953 | $150.85 | 0.8% |
| 1954 | $151.98 | 0.7% |
| 1955 | $151.41 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | $153.67 | 1.5% |
| 1957 | $158.76 | 3.3% |
| 1958 | $163.28 | 2.8% |
| 1959 | $164.41 | 0.7% |
| 1960 | $167.23 | 1.7% |
| 1961 | $168.93 | 1.0% |
| 1962 | $170.62 | 1.0% |
| 1963 | $172.88 | 1.3% |
| 1964 | $175.14 | 1.3% |
| 1965 | $177.97 | 1.6% |
| 1966 | $183.05 | 2.9% |
| 1967 | $188.70 | 3.1% |
| 1968 | $196.61 | 4.2% |
| 1969 | $207.34 | 5.5% |
| 1970 | $219.21 | 5.7% |
| 1971 | $228.81 | 4.4% |
| 1972 | $236.16 | 3.2% |
| 1973 | $250.85 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $278.53 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $303.95 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $321.47 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $342.37 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $368.36 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $410.17 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $465.54 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $513.56 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $545.20 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $562.71 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $587.01 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $607.91 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $619.21 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $641.81 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $668.36 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $700.56 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $738.42 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $769.49 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $792.66 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $816.38 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $837.29 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $861.02 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $886.44 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $906.78 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $920.90 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $941.24 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $972.88 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $1,001 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $1,016 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $1,040 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $1,067 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $1,103 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $1,139 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $1,171 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $1,216 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $1,212 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $1,232 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $1,271 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $1,297 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $1,316 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $1,337 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $1,339 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $1,356 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $1,385 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $1,419 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $1,444 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $1,462 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $1,531 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $1,653 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $1,721 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $1,772 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $1,819 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $1,877 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1926 dollars
What is $100 in 1926 worth today?
$100 in 1926 is worth about $1,877 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 95% of its 1926 purchasing power, so it takes 18.77 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1926. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 17.7 in 1926 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1926?
Cumulative US inflation from 1926 to 2026 is about 1,777.1%, an average of 2.98% per year over 100 years.
What is $1,000 in 1926 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1926 has the same buying power as about $18,771 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1926?
The US inflation rate in 1926 was 1.1%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1925 (17.5) to 1926 (17.7).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1926). Figures are national averages for educational use and are not financial advice. The era summary is written with AI assistance; every figure on this page is computed from BLS data. See Understanding the CPI and the history of US inflation.