$100 in 1936 has the same buying power as about $2,390 in 2026. Prices rose 2,290.2% over 90 years, an average of 3.59% per year, and the dollar lost about 96% of its 1936 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1936- Cumulative inflation
- 2,290.2%
- Average per year
- 3.59%
- Inflation rate in 1936
- 1.5%
- CPI-U 1936 → 2026
- 13.9 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×23.902
On the time scale
1936 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1936 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 1936 was 1.5%, the 31st 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 1936 level in 1957, 21 years later.
Read more: The history of US inflation
1936 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1936 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $23.90 |
| $5 | $119.51 |
| $10 | $239.02 |
| $20 | $478.05 |
| $50 | $1,195 |
| $100 | $2,390 |
| $500 | $11,951 |
| $1,000 | $23,902 |
| $10,000 | $239,024 |
| $100,000 | $2,390,237 |
Value of $100 from 1936, year by year
What $100 from 1936 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1936 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | $100 | 1.5% |
| 1937 | $103.60 | 3.6% |
| 1938 | $101.44 | -2.1% |
| 1939 | $100 | -1.4% |
| 1940 | $100.72 | 0.7% |
| 1941 | $105.76 | 5.0% |
| 1942 | $117.27 | 10.9% |
| 1943 | $124.46 | 6.1% |
| 1944 | $126.62 | 1.7% |
| 1945 | $129.50 | 2.3% |
| 1946 | $140.29 | 8.3% |
| 1947 | $160.43 | 14.4% |
| 1948 | $173.38 | 8.1% |
| 1949 | $171.22 | -1.2% |
| 1950 | $173.38 | 1.3% |
| 1951 | $187.05 | 7.9% |
| 1952 | $190.65 | 1.9% |
| 1953 | $192.09 | 0.8% |
| 1954 | $193.53 | 0.7% |
| 1955 | $192.81 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | $195.68 | 1.5% |
| 1957 | $202.16 | 3.3% |
| 1958 | $207.91 | 2.8% |
| 1959 | $209.35 | 0.7% |
| 1960 | $212.95 | 1.7% |
| 1961 | $215.11 | 1.0% |
| 1962 | $217.27 | 1.0% |
| 1963 | $220.14 | 1.3% |
| 1964 | $223.02 | 1.3% |
| 1965 | $226.62 | 1.6% |
| 1966 | $233.09 | 2.9% |
| 1967 | $240.29 | 3.1% |
| 1968 | $250.36 | 4.2% |
| 1969 | $264.03 | 5.5% |
| 1970 | $279.14 | 5.7% |
| 1971 | $291.37 | 4.4% |
| 1972 | $300.72 | 3.2% |
| 1973 | $319.42 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $354.68 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $387.05 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $409.35 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $435.97 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $469.06 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $522.30 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $592.81 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $653.96 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $694.24 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $716.55 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $747.48 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $774.10 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $788.49 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $817.27 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $851.08 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $892.09 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $940.29 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $979.86 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $1,009 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $1,040 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $1,066 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $1,096 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $1,129 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $1,155 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $1,173 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $1,199 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $1,239 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $1,274 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $1,294 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $1,324 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $1,359 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $1,405 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $1,450 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $1,492 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $1,549 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $1,543 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $1,569 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $1,618 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $1,652 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $1,676 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $1,703 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $1,705 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $1,727 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $1,763 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $1,807 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $1,839 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $1,862 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $1,949 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $2,105 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $2,192 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $2,257 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $2,316 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $2,390 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1936 dollars
What is $100 in 1936 worth today?
$100 in 1936 is worth about $2,390 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 96% of its 1936 purchasing power, so it takes 23.90 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1936. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 13.9 in 1936 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1936?
Cumulative US inflation from 1936 to 2026 is about 2,290.2%, an average of 3.59% per year over 90 years.
What is $1,000 in 1936 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1936 has the same buying power as about $23,902 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1936?
The US inflation rate in 1936 was 1.5%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1935 (13.7) to 1936 (13.9).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1936). 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.