$10 in 1970 is worth $88.35 today (CPI)
$88.35
Updated June 1, 2026 · BLS / FRED (CPIAUCSL)
$10 in 1970 is worth $88.35 in today's dollars, adjusted by the official U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), which rose 783% since then. BLS/FRED data through June 1, 2026.
Ten dollars in 1970 was a small, everyday sum — the kind kept loose in a wallet rather than saved. That makes it a clean gauge of the decade's great inflation, which began with the first oil shock and pushed annual rates into double digits. The adjustment here isn't a return on the money; it's the bare cost of standing still. It simply restates how many of today's dollars buy the same modest amount that $10 covered then.
Run your own experiment
Year by year
| Year | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| 1970 | $11 |
| 1980 | $23 |
| 1990 | $35 |
| 2000 | $46 |
| 2010 | $58 |
| 2020 | $69 |
| 2026 | $88 |
Selected milestones; the math uses every month of the official series.
Put differently: what cost $10 in 1970 costs $88.35 today. A dollar from 1970 buys only 11% of what it bought then — prices multiplied 8.8× over the period.
The 1970s were the great inflation: two oil shocks pushed annual inflation past 13% by decade’s end.
Frequently asked questions
How is the value of $10 from 1970 calculated?
We divide today's CPI-U index level by the 1970 level, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The cumulative change is 783% — a factor of 8.83.
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.
Keep exploring
Descriptive, educational content computed from official public data. Not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.