$100 in 1937 has the same buying power as about $2,307 in 2026. Prices rose 2,207.2% over 89 years, an average of 3.59% per year, and the dollar lost about 96% of its 1937 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1937- Cumulative inflation
- 2,207.2%
- Average per year
- 3.59%
- Inflation rate in 1937
- 3.6%
- CPI-U 1937 → 2026
- 14.4 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×23.072
On the time scale
1937 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1937 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 1937 was 3.6%, the 37th highest 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 1937 level in 1958, 21 years later.
Read more: The history of US inflation
1937 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1937 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $23.07 |
| $5 | $115.36 |
| $10 | $230.72 |
| $20 | $461.45 |
| $50 | $1,154 |
| $100 | $2,307 |
| $500 | $11,536 |
| $1,000 | $23,072 |
| $10,000 | $230,724 |
| $100,000 | $2,307,243 |
Value of $100 from 1937, year by year
What $100 from 1937 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1937 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | $100 | 3.6% |
| 1938 | $97.92 | -2.1% |
| 1939 | $96.53 | -1.4% |
| 1940 | $97.22 | 0.7% |
| 1941 | $102.08 | 5.0% |
| 1942 | $113.19 | 10.9% |
| 1943 | $120.14 | 6.1% |
| 1944 | $122.22 | 1.7% |
| 1945 | $125 | 2.3% |
| 1946 | $135.42 | 8.3% |
| 1947 | $154.86 | 14.4% |
| 1948 | $167.36 | 8.1% |
| 1949 | $165.28 | -1.2% |
| 1950 | $167.36 | 1.3% |
| 1951 | $180.56 | 7.9% |
| 1952 | $184.03 | 1.9% |
| 1953 | $185.42 | 0.8% |
| 1954 | $186.81 | 0.7% |
| 1955 | $186.11 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | $188.89 | 1.5% |
| 1957 | $195.14 | 3.3% |
| 1958 | $200.69 | 2.8% |
| 1959 | $202.08 | 0.7% |
| 1960 | $205.56 | 1.7% |
| 1961 | $207.64 | 1.0% |
| 1962 | $209.72 | 1.0% |
| 1963 | $212.50 | 1.3% |
| 1964 | $215.28 | 1.3% |
| 1965 | $218.75 | 1.6% |
| 1966 | $225 | 2.9% |
| 1967 | $231.94 | 3.1% |
| 1968 | $241.67 | 4.2% |
| 1969 | $254.86 | 5.5% |
| 1970 | $269.44 | 5.7% |
| 1971 | $281.25 | 4.4% |
| 1972 | $290.28 | 3.2% |
| 1973 | $308.33 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $342.36 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $373.61 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $395.14 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $420.83 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $452.78 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $504.17 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $572.22 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $631.25 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $670.14 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $691.67 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $721.53 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $747.22 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $761.11 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $788.89 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $821.53 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $861.11 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $907.64 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $945.83 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $974.31 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $1,003 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $1,029 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $1,058 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $1,090 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $1,115 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $1,132 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $1,157 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $1,196 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $1,230 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $1,249 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $1,278 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $1,312 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $1,356 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $1,400 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $1,440 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $1,495 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $1,490 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $1,514 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $1,562 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $1,594 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $1,618 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $1,644 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $1,646 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $1,667 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $1,702 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $1,744 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $1,775 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $1,797 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $1,882 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $2,032 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $2,116 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $2,178 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $2,236 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $2,307 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1937 dollars
What is $100 in 1937 worth today?
$100 in 1937 is worth about $2,307 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 96% of its 1937 purchasing power, so it takes 23.07 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1937. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 14.4 in 1937 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1937?
Cumulative US inflation from 1937 to 2026 is about 2,207.2%, an average of 3.59% per year over 89 years.
What is $1,000 in 1937 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1937 has the same buying power as about $23,072 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1937?
The US inflation rate in 1937 was 3.6%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1936 (13.9) to 1937 (14.4).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1937). 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.