$100 in 1940 has the same buying power as about $2,373 in 2026. Prices rose 2,273.2% over 86 years, an average of 3.75% per year, and the dollar lost about 96% of its 1940 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1940- Cumulative inflation
- 2,273.2%
- Average per year
- 3.75%
- Inflation rate in 1940
- 0.7%
- CPI-U 1940 → 2026
- 14.0 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×23.732
On the time scale
1940 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1940 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 1940 was 0.7%, the 18th 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 1940 level in 1957, 17 years later.
Read more: The history of US inflation
1940 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1940 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $23.73 |
| $5 | $118.66 |
| $10 | $237.32 |
| $20 | $474.63 |
| $50 | $1,187 |
| $100 | $2,373 |
| $500 | $11,866 |
| $1,000 | $23,732 |
| $10,000 | $237,316 |
| $100,000 | $2,373,164 |
Value of $100 from 1940, year by year
What $100 from 1940 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1940 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | $100 | 0.7% |
| 1941 | $105 | 5.0% |
| 1942 | $116.43 | 10.9% |
| 1943 | $123.57 | 6.1% |
| 1944 | $125.71 | 1.7% |
| 1945 | $128.57 | 2.3% |
| 1946 | $139.29 | 8.3% |
| 1947 | $159.29 | 14.4% |
| 1948 | $172.14 | 8.1% |
| 1949 | $170 | -1.2% |
| 1950 | $172.14 | 1.3% |
| 1951 | $185.71 | 7.9% |
| 1952 | $189.29 | 1.9% |
| 1953 | $190.71 | 0.8% |
| 1954 | $192.14 | 0.7% |
| 1955 | $191.43 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | $194.29 | 1.5% |
| 1957 | $200.71 | 3.3% |
| 1958 | $206.43 | 2.8% |
| 1959 | $207.86 | 0.7% |
| 1960 | $211.43 | 1.7% |
| 1961 | $213.57 | 1.0% |
| 1962 | $215.71 | 1.0% |
| 1963 | $218.57 | 1.3% |
| 1964 | $221.43 | 1.3% |
| 1965 | $225 | 1.6% |
| 1966 | $231.43 | 2.9% |
| 1967 | $238.57 | 3.1% |
| 1968 | $248.57 | 4.2% |
| 1969 | $262.14 | 5.5% |
| 1970 | $277.14 | 5.7% |
| 1971 | $289.29 | 4.4% |
| 1972 | $298.57 | 3.2% |
| 1973 | $317.14 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $352.14 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $384.29 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $406.43 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $432.86 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $465.71 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $518.57 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $588.57 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $649.29 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $689.29 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $711.43 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $742.14 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $768.57 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $782.86 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $811.43 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $845.00 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $885.71 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $933.57 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $972.86 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $1,002 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $1,032 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $1,059 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $1,089 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $1,121 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $1,146 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $1,164 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $1,190 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $1,230 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $1,265 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $1,285 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $1,314 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $1,349 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $1,395 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $1,440 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $1,481 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $1,538 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $1,532 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $1,558 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $1,607 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $1,640 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $1,664 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $1,691 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $1,693 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $1,714 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $1,751 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $1,794 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $1,826 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $1,849 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $1,936 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $2,090 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $2,176 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $2,241 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $2,300 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $2,373 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1940 dollars
What is $100 in 1940 worth today?
$100 in 1940 is worth about $2,373 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 96% of its 1940 purchasing power, so it takes 23.73 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1940. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 14.0 in 1940 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1940?
Cumulative US inflation from 1940 to 2026 is about 2,273.2%, an average of 3.75% per year over 86 years.
What is $1,000 in 1940 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1940 has the same buying power as about $23,732 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1940?
The US inflation rate in 1940 was 0.7%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1939 (13.9) to 1940 (14.0).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1940). 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.