$100 in 1931 has the same buying power as about $2,186 in 2026. Prices rose 2,085.8% over 95 years, an average of 3.30% per year, and the dollar lost about 95% of its 1931 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1931- Cumulative inflation
- 2,085.8%
- Average per year
- 3.30%
- Inflation rate in 1931
- -9.0%
- CPI-U 1931 → 2026
- 15.2 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×21.858
On the time scale
1931 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1931 in context: The Great Depression
After the 1929 crash, waves of bank failures shrank the money supply and prices fell four years in a row; by 1933 the CPI was about 24% below its 1929 level. In 1933 and 1934 the Roosevelt administration ended gold convertibility for Americans and raised the official gold price from $20.67 to $35 an ounce, and prices began to recover. Monetary and fiscal tightening in 1936–37 brought another recession and falling prices again in 1938 and 1939.
- Inflation in 1931 was -9.0% (prices fell), the 3rd lowest annual rate of the 112 full years from 1914 to 2025.
- From 1930 to 1940, inflation averaged -1.80% a year, from a high of 3.6% in 1937 to a low of -9.9% in 1932.
- Prices first reached double their 1931 level in 1963, 32 years later.
Read more: The history of US inflation
1931 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1931 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $21.86 |
| $5 | $109.29 |
| $10 | $218.58 |
| $20 | $437.16 |
| $50 | $1,093 |
| $100 | $2,186 |
| $500 | $10,929 |
| $1,000 | $21,858 |
| $10,000 | $218,581 |
| $100,000 | $2,185,809 |
Value of $100 from 1931, year by year
What $100 from 1931 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1931 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | $100 | -9.0% |
| 1932 | $90.13 | -9.9% |
| 1933 | $85.53 | -5.1% |
| 1934 | $88.16 | 3.1% |
| 1935 | $90.13 | 2.2% |
| 1936 | $91.45 | 1.5% |
| 1937 | $94.74 | 3.6% |
| 1938 | $92.76 | -2.1% |
| 1939 | $91.45 | -1.4% |
| 1940 | $92.11 | 0.7% |
| 1941 | $96.71 | 5.0% |
| 1942 | $107.24 | 10.9% |
| 1943 | $113.82 | 6.1% |
| 1944 | $115.79 | 1.7% |
| 1945 | $118.42 | 2.3% |
| 1946 | $128.29 | 8.3% |
| 1947 | $146.71 | 14.4% |
| 1948 | $158.55 | 8.1% |
| 1949 | $156.58 | -1.2% |
| 1950 | $158.55 | 1.3% |
| 1951 | $171.05 | 7.9% |
| 1952 | $174.34 | 1.9% |
| 1953 | $175.66 | 0.8% |
| 1954 | $176.97 | 0.7% |
| 1955 | $176.32 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | $178.95 | 1.5% |
| 1957 | $184.87 | 3.3% |
| 1958 | $190.13 | 2.8% |
| 1959 | $191.45 | 0.7% |
| 1960 | $194.74 | 1.7% |
| 1961 | $196.71 | 1.0% |
| 1962 | $198.68 | 1.0% |
| 1963 | $201.32 | 1.3% |
| 1964 | $203.95 | 1.3% |
| 1965 | $207.24 | 1.6% |
| 1966 | $213.16 | 2.9% |
| 1967 | $219.74 | 3.1% |
| 1968 | $228.95 | 4.2% |
| 1969 | $241.45 | 5.5% |
| 1970 | $255.26 | 5.7% |
| 1971 | $266.45 | 4.4% |
| 1972 | $275 | 3.2% |
| 1973 | $292.11 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $324.34 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $353.95 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $374.34 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $398.68 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $428.95 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $477.63 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $542.11 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $598.03 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $634.87 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $655.26 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $683.55 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $707.89 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $721.05 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $747.37 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $778.29 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $815.79 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $859.87 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $896.05 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $923.03 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $950.66 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $975 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $1,003 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $1,032 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $1,056 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $1,072 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $1,096 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $1,133 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $1,165 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $1,184 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $1,211 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $1,243 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $1,285 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $1,326 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $1,364 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $1,416 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $1,411 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $1,435 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $1,480 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $1,510 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $1,533 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $1,557 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $1,559 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $1,579 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $1,613 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $1,652 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $1,682 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $1,703 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $1,783 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $1,925 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $2,005 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $2,064 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $2,118 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $2,186 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1931 dollars
What is $100 in 1931 worth today?
$100 in 1931 is worth about $2,186 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 95% of its 1931 purchasing power, so it takes 21.86 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1931. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 15.2 in 1931 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1931?
Cumulative US inflation from 1931 to 2026 is about 2,085.8%, an average of 3.30% per year over 95 years.
What is $1,000 in 1931 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1931 has the same buying power as about $21,858 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1931?
The US inflation rate in 1931 was -9.0%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1930 (16.7) to 1931 (15.2).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1931). 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.