$100 in 1979 has the same buying power as about $457.63 in 2026. Prices rose 357.6% over 47 years, an average of 3.29% per year, and the dollar lost about 78% of its 1979 purchasing power.
Ledger
$100 of 1979- Cumulative inflation
- 357.6%
- Average per year
- 3.29%
- Inflation rate in 1979
- 11.3%
- CPI-U 1979 → 2026
- 72.6 → 332.2
- Multiplier
- ×4.576
On the time scale
1979 to 2026CPI-U annual averages (1982–84 = 100). Calculate a different amount or end year.
1979 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 1979 was 11.3%, the 7th 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 1979 level in 1994, 15 years later.
Read more: The 1970s stagflation
1979 dollars in 2026 dollars
| AMOUNT IN 1979 | VALUE IN 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $4.58 |
| $5 | $22.88 |
| $10 | $45.76 |
| $20 | $91.53 |
| $50 | $228.82 |
| $100 | $457.63 |
| $500 | $2,288 |
| $1,000 | $4,576 |
| $10,000 | $45,763 |
| $100,000 | $457,635 |
Value of $100 from 1979, year by year
What $100 from 1979 was worth in each later year, with that year's inflation rate.
| YEAR | $100 IN 1979 EQUALS | INFLATION RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | $100 | 11.3% |
| 1980 | $113.50 | 13.5% |
| 1981 | $125.21 | 10.3% |
| 1982 | $132.92 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | $137.19 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | $143.11 | 4.3% |
| 1985 | $148.21 | 3.6% |
| 1986 | $150.96 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | $156.47 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | $162.95 | 4.1% |
| 1989 | $170.80 | 4.8% |
| 1990 | $180.03 | 5.4% |
| 1991 | $187.60 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $193.25 | 3.0% |
| 1993 | $199.04 | 3.0% |
| 1994 | $204.13 | 2.6% |
| 1995 | $209.92 | 2.8% |
| 1996 | $216.12 | 3.0% |
| 1997 | $221.07 | 2.3% |
| 1998 | $224.52 | 1.6% |
| 1999 | $229.48 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | $237.19 | 3.4% |
| 2001 | $243.94 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | $247.80 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | $253.44 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | $260.19 | 2.7% |
| 2005 | $269.01 | 3.4% |
| 2006 | $277.69 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | $285.60 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | $296.56 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | $295.51 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | $300.35 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | $309.83 | 3.2% |
| 2012 | $316.25 | 2.1% |
| 2013 | $320.88 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | $326.08 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | $326.47 | 0.1% |
| 2016 | $330.59 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | $337.63 | 2.1% |
| 2018 | $345.88 | 2.4% |
| 2019 | $352.14 | 1.8% |
| 2020 | $356.49 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | $373.24 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | $403.11 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | $419.70 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | $432.08 | 2.9% |
| 2025 | $443.45 | 2.6% |
| 2026 | $457.63 | 3.2% |
Questions about 1979 dollars
What is $100 in 1979 worth today?
$100 in 1979 is worth about $457.63 in 2026. The US dollar lost roughly 78% of its 1979 purchasing power, so it takes 4.58 2026 dollars to buy what one dollar bought in 1979. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (2026: January–September average); CPI 72.6 in 1979 and 332.2 in 2026.
How much has inflation been since 1979?
Cumulative US inflation from 1979 to 2026 is about 357.6%, an average of 3.29% per year over 47 years.
What is $1,000 in 1979 worth in 2026?
$1,000 in 1979 has the same buying power as about $4,576 in 2026.
What was the inflation rate in 1979?
The US inflation rate in 1979 was 11.3%, measured as the change in the annual average CPI-U from 1978 (65.2) to 1979 (72.6).
Method: value = amount × (CPI2026 ÷ CPI1979). 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.