$100 in 1970 has the same buying power as about $856.30 in 2026. Prices rose 756.3% over 56 years, an average of 3.91% per year, and the dollar lost about 88% of its 1970 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1970- Cumulative inflation
- 756.3%
- Average per year
- 3.91%
- Inflation rate in 1970
- 5.7%
- CPI-U 1970 → 2026
- 38.8 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×8.563
On the time scale
1970 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1970 in context: The Great Inflation begins
Spending on the Vietnam War and the Great Society programs, with a Federal Reserve reluctant to tighten, pushed inflation from 1.6% in 1965 to 5.7% in 1970. In August 1971 President Nixon ended the dollar's convertibility into gold and imposed a 90-day wage and price freeze. The controls that followed held measured inflation to 3.2% in 1972 while the underlying pressure kept building.
- Inflation in 1970 was 5.7%, the 23rd highest annual rate of the 112 full years from 1914 to 2025.
- From 1966 to 1972, inflation averaged 4.12% a year, from a high of 5.7% in 1970 to a low of 2.9% in 1966.
- Prices first reached double their 1970 level in 1980, 10 years later.
Read more: The 1970s stagflation
1970 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1970 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $8.56 |
| $5 | $42.81 |
| $10 | $85.63 |
| $20 | $171.26 |
| $50 | $428.15 |
| $100 | $856.30 |
| $500 | $4,281 |
| $1,000 | $8,563 |
| $10,000 | $85,630 |
| $100,000 | $856,296 |
Value of $100 from 1970, year by year
What $100 from 1970 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1970 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | $100 | 5.7% |
| 1971 | $104.38 | 4.4% |
| 1972 | $107.73 | 3.2% |
| 1973 | $114.43 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $127.06 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $138.66 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $146.65 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $156.19 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $168.04 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $187.11 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $212.37 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $234.28 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $248.71 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $256.70 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $267.78 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $277.32 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $282.47 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $292.78 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $304.90 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $319.59 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $336.86 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $351.03 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $361.60 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $372.42 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $381.96 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $392.78 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $404.38 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $413.66 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $420.10 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $429.38 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $443.81 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $456.44 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $463.66 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $474.23 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $486.86 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $503.35 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $519.59 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $534.39 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $554.90 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $552.93 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $562.00 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $579.74 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $591.74 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $600.40 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $610.14 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $610.87 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $618.57 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $631.75 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $647.18 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $658.91 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $667.04 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $698.38 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $754.27 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $785.31 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $808.48 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $829.75 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $856.30 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1970 dollars
What is $100 in 1970 worth today?
$100 in 1970 is worth about $856.30 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 88% of its 1970 purchasing power, so it takes 8.56 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1970. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 38.8 in 1970 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1970?
Cumulative US inflation from 1970 to 2026 is about 756.3%, an average of 3.91% per year over 56 years.
What is $1,000 in 1970 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1970 has the same buying power as about $8,563 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1970?
The US inflation rate in 1970 was 5.7%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1969 (36.7) to 1970 (38.8).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1970). 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.