$100 in 1930 is worth $1,953 today (CPI)
$1,953
Updated June 1, 2026 · BLS / FRED (CPIAUCSL)
$100 in 1930 is worth $1,952.94 in today's dollars, adjusted by the official U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), which rose 1,853% since then. BLS/FRED data through June 1, 2026.
One hundred dollars in 1930 stretched further by the month, because the Great Depression was pulling prices down — they fell roughly a quarter between 1929 and 1933. A household sum like this gained purchasing power in the early years before the long upward trend resumed. The adjustment isolates that net effect across the decades: the today's-dollars figure that holds the same buying power, with no return involved.
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Year by year
| Year | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| 1930 | $94 |
| 1940 | $82 |
| 1950 | $146 |
| 1960 | $174 |
| 1970 | $233 |
| 1980 | $505 |
| 1990 | $782 |
| 2000 | $1,018 |
| 2010 | $1,282 |
| 2020 | $1,523 |
| 2026 | $1,953 |
Selected milestones; the math uses every month of the official series.
Put differently: what cost $100 in 1930 costs $1,952.94 today. A dollar from 1930 buys only 5% of what it bought then — prices multiplied 19.5× over the period.
During the Great Depression prices fell roughly 25% between 1929 and 1933, the deepest deflation in the modern record.
Frequently asked questions
How is the value of $100 from 1930 calculated?
We divide today's CPI-U index level by the 1930 level, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The cumulative change is 1,853% — a factor of 19.53.
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.