$100 in 1971 has the same buying power as about $820.35 in 2026. Prices rose 720.4% over 55 years, an average of 3.90% per year, and the dollar lost about 88% of its 1971 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1971- Cumulative inflation
- 720.4%
- Average per year
- 3.90%
- Inflation rate in 1971
- 4.4%
- CPI-U 1971 → 2026
- 40.5 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×8.204
On the time scale
1971 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1971 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 1971 was 4.4%, the 29th 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 1971 level in 1980, 9 years later.
Read more: The 1970s stagflation
1971 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1971 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $8.20 |
| $5 | $41.02 |
| $10 | $82.04 |
| $20 | $164.07 |
| $50 | $410.18 |
| $100 | $820.35 |
| $500 | $4,102 |
| $1,000 | $8,204 |
| $10,000 | $82,035 |
| $100,000 | $820,353 |
Value of $100 from 1971, year by year
What $100 from 1971 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1971 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | $100 | 4.4% |
| 1972 | $103.21 | 3.2% |
| 1973 | $109.63 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $121.73 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $132.84 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $140.49 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $149.63 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $160.99 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $179.26 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $203.46 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $224.44 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $238.27 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $245.93 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $256.54 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $265.68 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $270.62 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $280.49 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $292.10 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $306.17 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $322.72 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $336.30 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $346.42 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $356.79 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $365.93 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $376.30 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $387.41 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $396.30 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $402.47 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $411.36 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $425.19 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $437.28 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $444.20 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $454.32 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $466.42 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $482.22 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $497.78 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $511.96 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $531.61 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $529.72 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $538.41 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $555.40 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $566.90 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $575.20 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $584.53 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $585.23 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $592.61 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $605.23 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $620.02 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $631.25 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $639.04 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $669.06 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $722.60 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $752.35 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $774.54 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $794.92 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $820.35 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1971 dollars
What is $100 in 1971 worth today?
$100 in 1971 is worth about $820.35 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 88% of its 1971 purchasing power, so it takes 8.20 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1971. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 40.5 in 1971 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1971?
Cumulative US inflation from 1971 to 2026 is about 720.4%, an average of 3.90% per year over 55 years.
What is $1,000 in 1971 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1971 has the same buying power as about $8,204 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1971?
The US inflation rate in 1971 was 4.4%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1970 (38.8) to 1971 (40.5).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1971). 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.