$100 in 1978 has the same buying power as about $509.58 in 2026. Prices rose 409.6% over 48 years, an average of 3.45% per year, and the dollar lost about 80% of its 1978 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1978- Cumulative inflation
- 409.6%
- Average per year
- 3.45%
- Inflation rate in 1978
- 7.6%
- CPI-U 1978 → 2026
- 65.2 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×5.096
On the time scale
1978 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1978 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 1978 was 7.6%, the 17th 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 1978 level in 1990, 12 years later.
Read more: The 1970s stagflation
1978 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1978 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $5.10 |
| $5 | $25.48 |
| $10 | $50.96 |
| $20 | $101.92 |
| $50 | $254.79 |
| $100 | $509.58 |
| $500 | $2,548 |
| $1,000 | $5,096 |
| $10,000 | $50,958 |
| $100,000 | $509,575 |
Value of $100 from 1978, year by year
What $100 from 1978 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1978 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | $100 | 7.6% |
| 1979 | $111.35 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $126.38 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $139.42 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $148.01 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $152.76 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $159.36 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $165.03 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $168.10 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $174.23 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $181.44 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $190.18 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $200.46 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $208.90 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $215.18 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $221.63 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $227.30 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $233.74 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $240.64 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $246.17 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $250 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $255.52 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $264.11 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $271.63 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $275.92 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $282.21 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $289.72 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $299.54 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $309.20 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $318.01 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $330.22 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $329.04 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $334.44 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $345.00 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $352.14 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $357.30 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $363.09 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $363.52 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $368.11 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $375.95 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $385.13 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $392.11 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $396.95 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $415.60 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $448.86 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $467.33 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $481.12 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $493.78 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $509.58 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1978 dollars
What is $100 in 1978 worth today?
$100 in 1978 is worth about $509.58 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 80% of its 1978 purchasing power, so it takes 5.10 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1978. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 65.2 in 1978 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1978?
Cumulative US inflation from 1978 to 2026 is about 409.6%, an average of 3.45% per year over 48 years.
What is $1,000 in 1978 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1978 has the same buying power as about $5,096 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1978?
The US inflation rate in 1978 was 7.6%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1977 (60.6) to 1978 (65.2).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1978). 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.