$100 in 1973 has the same buying power as about $748.30 in 2026. Prices rose 648.3% over 53 years, an average of 3.87% per year, and the dollar lost about 87% of its 1973 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1973- Cumulative inflation
- 648.3%
- Average per year
- 3.87%
- Inflation rate in 1973
- 6.2%
- CPI-U 1973 → 2026
- 44.4 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×7.483
On the time scale
1973 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1973 in context: Oil shocks and stagflation
The 1973–74 Arab oil embargo roughly quadrupled the price of crude, and inflation reached 11.0% in 1974. A second oil shock after the 1979 Iranian revolution pushed it to 13.5% in 1980, the highest annual rate since 1947, while unemployment rose at the same time. Paul Volcker, Fed chair from August 1979, let short-term interest rates climb to around 20%; the recessions of 1980 and 1981–82 that followed broke the cycle.
- Inflation in 1973 was 6.2%, the 19th highest annual rate of the 112 full years from 1914 to 2025.
- From 1973 to 1982, inflation averaged 8.73% a year, from a high of 13.5% in 1980 to a low of 5.8% in 1976.
- Prices first reached double their 1973 level in 1981, 8 years later.
Read more: The 1970s stagflation
1973 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1973 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $7.48 |
| $5 | $37.41 |
| $10 | $74.83 |
| $20 | $149.66 |
| $50 | $374.15 |
| $100 | $748.30 |
| $500 | $3,741 |
| $1,000 | $7,483 |
| $10,000 | $74,830 |
| $100,000 | $748,295 |
Value of $100 from 1973, year by year
What $100 from 1973 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1973 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | $100 | 6.2% |
| 1974 | $111.04 | 11.0% |
| 1975 | $121.17 | 9.1% |
| 1976 | $128.15 | 5.8% |
| 1977 | $136.49 | 6.5% |
| 1978 | $146.85 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $163.51 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $185.59 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $204.73 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $217.34 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $224.32 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $234.01 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $242.34 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $246.85 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $255.86 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $266.44 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $279.28 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $294.37 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $306.76 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $315.99 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $325.45 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $333.78 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $343.24 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $353.38 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $361.49 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $367.12 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $375.23 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $387.84 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $398.87 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $405.18 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $414.41 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $425.45 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $439.86 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $454.05 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $466.99 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $484.92 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $483.19 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $491.12 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $506.62 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $517.10 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $524.68 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $533.19 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $533.82 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $540.56 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $552.07 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $565.56 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $575.80 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $582.91 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $610.29 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $659.13 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $686.27 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $706.51 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $725.10 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $748.30 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1973 dollars
What is $100 in 1973 worth today?
$100 in 1973 is worth about $748.30 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 87% of its 1973 purchasing power, so it takes 7.48 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1973. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 44.4 in 1973 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1973?
Cumulative US inflation from 1973 to 2026 is about 648.3%, an average of 3.87% per year over 53 years.
What is $1,000 in 1973 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1973 has the same buying power as about $7,483 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1973?
The US inflation rate in 1973 was 6.2%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1972 (41.8) to 1973 (44.4).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1973). 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.