Based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers), covering 1970–2026. The 2026 value is a partial-year running average and will be revised as the year completes. Reflects average price changes across a general basket of goods - your personal cost of living may differ.
What is $100 from 1970 worth today?
$100 from 1970 has the same buying power as $853.56 in 2026, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U. Consumer prices rose 753.6% over those 56 years, an average of 3.90% a year, so a dollar today buys what 12 cents bought in 1970.
1970 dollars vs 2026
| Amount | 1970 money in 2026 dollars | 2026 money in 1970 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00 | $8.54 | $0.12 |
| $20.00 | $170.71 | $2.34 |
| $100 | $853.56 | $11.72 |
| $1,000 | $8,535.57 | $117.16 |
| $10,000 | $85,355.67 | $1,171.57 |
Read the middle column to update an old figure: a $20 bill from 1970 stretches as far as $170.71 does now. Read the right-hand column to go backwards: $1,000 spent in 2026 buys roughly what $117.16 bought in 1970.
Inflation since 1970 in numbers
- Cumulative inflation, 1970 to 2026: 753.6% (CPI-U 38.8 to 331.18).
- Average annual inflation over those 56 years: 3.90%.
- Buying power a 1970 dollar has lost: 88.3%.
- Prices doubled from the 1970 level by 1980, after 10 years.
- Inflation during 1970 itself is not shown: the series starts in 1970, so there is no earlier year to compare with.
- Share of the price rise since 1970 that came in 2020-2026: 24.8%.
Year-by-year CPI around 1970
| Year | CPI-U (annual average) | Inflation that year |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 38.8 | n/a |
| 1971 | 40.5 | 4.38% |
| 1972 | 41.8 | 3.21% |
| 1973 | 44.4 | 6.22% |
| 1974 | 49.3 | 11.04% |
| 1975 | 53.8 | 9.13% |
| 1976 | 56.9 | 5.76% |
1970 compared with the years around it
With no earlier data in the series, the useful comparison for 1970 is forward: in the decade to 1980, prices rose an average of 7.82% a year, against 3.90% a year over the full 1970-2026 span. Between 1971 and 1975, the highest annual rate was 11.04% in 1974 and the lowest was 3.21% in 1972.
What happened to 1970 dollars
The dataset starts in 1970, so a 1970 dollar has been through every swing in modern U.S. inflation. Prices more than doubled in the first decade alone: the CPI-U went from 38.8 in 1970 to 82.4 in 1980, with annual inflation reaching 11.04% in 1974 and 13.50% in 1980 as the oil price shocks of 1973-74 and 1979 fed through the economy (1980 remains the highest annual rate in the series). That ten-year stretch averaged 7.82% a year, roughly twice the 3.90% average for 1970-2026 as a whole. Everything since then compounded on top of already-doubled prices, which is why a single 1970 dollar needs $8.54 today to match it.
Frequently asked questions
$853.56 in 2026 - prices have risen 754% since 1970, an average of 3.90% a year. Going the other way, $100 today would have bought what $11.72 bought in 1970.
88.3% by 2026. A 1970 dollar needs $8.54 today to buy the same goods, because the CPI-U has risen from 38.8 to 331.18. There is no 1970 annual rate here, since the series begins in 1970.
Yes. The CPI-U first reached twice its 1970 average of 38.8 in 1980, 10 years later, and prices are now 753.6% higher than in 1970.
Multiply the 1970 amount by the 2026 CPI-U divided by the 1970 CPI-U: 331.18 ÷ 38.8 = 8.5356. The 2026 index is a partial-year average through the latest published month, so 2026 values can shift slightly once the full year is in.
Other years
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Reviewed by Raja Jahangir · Last reviewed: October 2026