$10 in 1913 is worth $341 today (CPI)
$341
Updated June 1, 2026 · BLS / FRED (CPIAUCSL)
$10 in 1913 is worth $340.77 in today's dollars, adjusted by the official U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), which rose 3,308% since then. BLS/FRED data through June 1, 2026.
Ten dollars in 1913 was on the order of a week's pay for a laborer — a modest household amount, not pocket change. Adjusting it shows what that everyday sum, set aside the year consumer prices were first tracked, would need to be today to hold the same purchasing power. It is the inflation gap that matters here, not any return, since the money simply sat rather than earning.
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Year by year
| Year | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| 1920 | $20 |
| 1930 | $16 |
| 1940 | $14 |
| 1950 | $26 |
| 1960 | $30 |
| 1970 | $41 |
| 1980 | $88 |
| 1990 | $137 |
| 2000 | $178 |
| 2010 | $224 |
| 2020 | $266 |
| 2026 | $341 |
Selected milestones; the math uses every month of the official series.
Put differently: what cost $10 in 1913 costs $340.77 today. A dollar from 1913 buys only 3% of what it bought then — prices multiplied 34.1× over the period.
1913 is where the official record begins: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking consumer prices the same year the Federal Reserve was created.
Frequently asked questions
How is the value of $10 from 1913 calculated?
We divide today's CPI-U index level by the 1913 level, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The cumulative change is 3,308% — a factor of 34.08.
Which inflation measure is used?
CPI-U, the broadest official U.S. consumer price index (all urban consumers), the same series used by the BLS inflation calculator.
Does this include investment returns?
No. This is pure purchasing-power adjustment. Money invested in stocks or bonds over the same period would have grown far more than inflation.
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Descriptive, educational content computed from official public data. Not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.